Chennai, Nov 23 (TruthDive): DAM 999 sheds light on the 1975 Banqiao Dam disaster in China that claimed 250,000 innocent lives. ‘Dam 999′, will be released on November 25, 2011. Directed by Sohan Roy, the film centres on an ill-constructed dam and how it collapses and ravages the surrounding areas. The English film, released by Warner Bros, is scheduled for November 25. It has been dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.

The movie stars Rajit Kapur, Joshua Fredric Smith, Linda Arsenio, Gary Richardson, Jaala Pickering, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vinay Rai, Vimala Raman and Megha Burman. The film, financed by Keralites, starring Indian and Hollywood actors and directed by Sohan Roy has been named ‘Dam 999′ referring to the legal rights held by Tamil Nadu over the Mullaiperiyar dam for 999 years.

In the Indian context, ‘Dam 999′ serves as a clarion call to action for the Kerala government as recent recurrence of mild tremors in Idukki district in Kerala is causing concern over the safety of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam, located on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.

Two political parties in Tamil Nadu MDMK and PMK today demanded a ban on the release of Hollywood film ‘Dam 999′ in the country, saying it depicts the scenario of the collapse of century-old Mullaiperiyar Dam over which the state is locked in a row with Kerala. Vaiko said he has appealed to the South Indian Film Chambers, Tamil Film Producers Council and the South Indian Artistes Association not to allow the screening of the film in Tamil Nadu.

RV Mahalingam of Poornima Shankar Exim, which is distributing the film in TN and Andhra Pradesh, assured that the film had no reference to the Mullaperiyar dam and does not contain even one dialogue about the issue. “We are ready to screen the film for those parties that are objecting to the film’s release,” he said. Theatre owners in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday decided not to screen controversial movie Dam 999, saying it was against the interests of the state, after political parties, including DMK, raised the pitch against its release.