Mr Ramesh said that he met Muthulakshmi three times during filming.

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India's rural development minister Jairam Ramesh recently said that the country needed toilets more than temples.

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"The movie is a result of 11 years of research, " said Ramesh who found it amusing that one man could be "lord of the forest and not be captured by police" for so long.

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Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said killing Shambo would be a "grave desecration".

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