ARSON THREAT OVER TAMIL MOVIE

Bangalore, March 5: The plot has taken a violent turn in a state that has long resisted change when it comes to dubbing other movies in the local language.

Pro-Kannada activists and a section of Karnataka's film fraternity have threatened to burn down any theatre that screens dubbed movies.

The immediate trigger is the dubbed version of the 2015 Tamil blockbuster Yennai Arindhaal. Renamed Sathyadev IPS, the film was to hit the screens on Friday but theatre owners didn't dare to take on activists who tore down banners and posters of the film, and vandalised the Karnataka Dubbing Film Chamber of Commerce (KDFCC), a parallel movie chamber.

Pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj was among those who threatened to burn down theatres. Nagaraj has announced a public demonstration in the city on March 9 and a "cinema bandh" the next day against dubbed movies.

"We will set fire to any theatre that screens dubbed films as the whole idea is detrimental to our language and culture," he said.

While Nagaraj felt dubbing in Kannada would finish off the local industry, G. Krishne Gowda, who distributed Sathyadev IPS, is taking the matter to court.

"I have already sent legal notices to Vatal Nagaraj, Jaggesh (an actor) and others who threatened arson. On Monday I'll be filing cases against them in the high court under charges of defamation, contempt of court and criminal conspiracy to disrupt peace (with their threats)," Gowda, also the KDFCC president, told The Telegraph yesterday.

No film has been dubbed in Kannada since 1957 after writers A.N. Krishna Rao and M. Ramamurthy started a movement against the practice that was prevalent then. It gathered momentum under yesteryear matinee idol Rajkumar in the early 1960s whose dictum is followed to this day by those who are against dubbing.

Even last year's ruling by the Competition Commission of India against the "unfair practice" hasn't found any consideration, as the unofficial ban continues.

While Sathyadev IPS was to have released in close to 30 theatres across the state, only nine of them in some southern and northern districts could run the film.

Gowda appeared steadfast in his battle to release the film in Bangalore. "I will fight these people and I am sure of getting justice from the court," Gowda said.

He also reminded the anti-dubbing lobby that Madras (now Chennai) was the hub of all south Indian cinema till production infrastructure developed in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Determined to take on the might of the anti-dubbing lobby, Gowda has lined up about 20 south Indian movies, including the big-budget Malayalam blockbuster Pulimurugan starring Mohanlal. "I want to show the quality of films in the south (barring Karnataka) to our people. To that end, I will fight for change," Gowda said.

All other south Indian states allow dubbed movies and television content.

Veteran actor Jaggesh, who was among those who threatened to burn down theatres, smelt a conspiracy. "This move is part of a larger conspiracy by some politicians and industry bigwigs as a dubbed film's rights come cheaper than an original Kannada film," he said, alluding to some politicians with interest in film distribution.

Producer M.S. Ravindra, a strong supporter of dubbed movies, however, believes that only competition can save the local film industry. "Most Kannada films give you the same feel as they are products of the hero-centric formula packed with item numbers, song sequences in foreign locations and meaningless violence," he said.

"You just see the movies in Malayalam where there is hardly any hero-centric movies or overseas shoots, but high-quality scripts, acting and technical skills on display. After watching Kammattipaadam (a Malayalam film), I couldn't watch another film for ten days just to relish the experience," said the man who last year made the critically acclaimed Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu (Cantankerous women of Kiragooru village).

"We can make such films. But we need a change in these people's attitude and dub other-language movies to show our people what quality means," Ravindra added.

"Let the people decide what they want. Instead, what's happening now is dictatorship by a few people who don't want to change."

Sa Ra Govindu, president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, disagreed. "We are protecting the livelihood of thousands of technicians and assistants who eke out their living from film production."

But Ravindra insists that most of the top-end technicians come from other states. "We've come to a stage when we don't even have good cameras. Everything comes from Hyderabad or Chennai. We can make a Bahubali or a Pulimurugan only if we generate that kind of money from movies and not by being too protectionist," he said.