Nilendra Deshapriya, who will direct ‘They Dance Alone’, has been told in the letter signed by Brig. A.S. Ariyasinghe, deputy of military relations that the IGP has warned of a possible unrest situation, jdslanka.org reports.

De Zoysa was abducted by military personnel in civilian clothing from his Welikadawatte, Rajagiriya home on 18 February 1990.

He had been tortured and killed, and the body found washed ashore at Koralawella beach in Moratuwa on the following day.

The film is to be based on the struggle launched by his mother, Dr. Manorani Saranavanamuttu, who founded Mothers’ Front to bring mothers of missing persons together.

The writing of the script began in 1996, but progress had been delayed due to numerous reasons.

Writing on 01 October 2014 to the then defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the film’s producer and government minister at the time Bandula Gunawardena sought permission for the shooting of the film.

In a response dated October 23, the ministry pointed to certain dialogues and other contents in the film are damaging of the pride and reputation of the Army and amount to a belittling of the war heroes.

An amended script was handed over on November 12, but the producers haven’t had any response, which prompted them to write again, to the new defence secretary, on February 09.

On February 12, Deshapriya sent an email seeking a meeting with media minister Gayantha Karunatilake to discuss the matter, but that is yet to be responded to.

Asked about this, ministry secretary Karunaratne Paranavithana said he was ready to resolve this matter, but that he was yet to receive a hard copy of the defence ministry letter which bans the shooting of the film.

Deshapriya says he is determined to see the completion of this film, adding that attempts to ban its shooting will not be allowed.

Such a ban will also prevent the making of films on the murders of Lasantha Wickrematunga, Dharmaratnam Sivaram or the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda, he said.

Fifteen years after de Zoysa’s killing, the accused were acquitted by the Colombo high court in 2005.