Cineplex has stopped screening the South Indian action flick Malaikottai Vaaliban nationwide after drive-by shootings occurred at four of their theatres throughout the GTA last week.
On Wednesday, January 24 — the day before Malaikottai Vaaliban's theatre premiere — Cineplex locations in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Brampton reported their windows having been shot at overnight.
New Canadian Media reported that the film has been mired in controversy, as two separate distribution companies — 2Kerala Entertainment Network and KW Talkies — have claimed to hold exclusive rights to air the movie in Canada. It came to a head on January 20, when 2Kerala Entertainment posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it had filed a legal notice to Cineplex and other Canadian theatres warning them against screening the film. However, there's no indication that the shootings are connected to that dispute.
Since Cineplex has officially pulled the film from its docket, TIFF Lightbox and Oakville's Film.ca are the only theatres in Canada airing it while Toronto, York and Peel Police further investigate the shootings.
Watch the trailer for Malaikottai Vaaliban below.
