New Delhi: Superstar Rajinikant is caught in the crossfire between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Activists have vowed to block the release of the actor’s forthcoming film Kuselan in Karnataka, saying the Tamil superstar should apologise for his ‘anti-Kannadiga’ statements.
The threat comes days after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) had given its nod for the film’s release in the state. Kuselan will be released on Friday.
Kannada organisations led by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike have demanded a public apology from Rajinikant for making strong remarks against them and the state during the Hogenakal agitation.
Protestors from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike shouted slogans against Rajinikant at Bangalore theatres. Three prominent theaters in the state have already declared that they would not screen the film.
Rajinikant has already sent a regret letter in Kannada, but the activists want a public apology from him. However, any such apology may create problems for him in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, tickets for Kuselan's screening on Friday are already sold out. The Karnataka Film Chambers is also holding a meeting on Thursday to sort the issue. Past tense
On Monday, Rajinikant had written a letter to KFCC president and actress Jayamala to ensure that his film got a release in Karnataka on August 1, along with its launch in Tamil Nadu. He had clarified that he had never intended to hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas.
Terming the superstar’s letter just a publicity stunt, former legislators Vatal Nagaraj and Prabhakara Reddy at a press conference asked Rajinikant to come out with a public apology.
Some Kannada organisations had been demanding that Kuselan be released in the state only after a seven-week moratorium as Rajinikant had allegedly hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas by supporting Tamil Nadu on a row over a drinking water project in Hogenekkal, on the border between the two states.
The superstar had joined the Tamil film fraternity in a daylong protest fast in April against Karnataka’s objections to the Rs13.3-billion Hogenekkal project that is expected to benefit about three million people in two Tamil Nadu districts.
Karnataka is opposed to the project, saying its share of the Cauvery river waters will be affected.
The actor, in his letter to Jayamala, had stressed that he had never intended to hurt the feelings of Kannadigas by speaking at the rally. He also added that he did not want his fans in Krantaka to miss out on his film.
However, a KFCC official told IANS, “The threat of protests was there even during the release of Rajinikant’s previous film Sivaji and even Kamal Haasan’s Dasavathaaram. But both films were released without any problems. We are sure that Kuselan would also be released on August 1.”(With inputs from IANS)
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