The Hindu : `Ban' on Tamil movies in State likely

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

`Ban' on Tamil movies in State likely

By K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

BANGALORE Oct. 15. The reported "unsavoury comments" by the Tamil film director, Bharatiraja, against the Kannada actor, Rajkumar, and the Karnataka film industry, and his "intention" to create problems for the people of Karnataka are likely to have a telling impact on the future of Tamil films in the State. A majority of Kannada organisations, the Rajkumar Fans' Association, the Kannada Film Directors' Association, the Producers' Association, and the Artistes' Association have discussed Mr. Bharatiraja's "outbursts" in the backdrop of the problems faced by the Kannada film industry and are reportedly planning to impose a permanent ban on screening Tamil movies in the State.

They are likely to hold ano-ther meeting under a common platform by October 24, irres-pective of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Cauvery issue. The former MLA and President of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, Vatal Nagaraj, told The Hindu that the reported statement of Mr. Bharatiraja was amateurish and inconsequential in the context of the Cauvery agitation. But he had insulted the people of the State and the Kannada film industry. The activities of Kannada organisations under the leadership of several stalwarts of the Kannada cultural world were responsible for several measures initiated for the welfare of Kannada cinema, including the stoppage of the dubbing of Tamil movies into Kannada. History and experience had shown that imposing a permanent ban on the screening of Tamil movies was the only solution left. Kannada organisations would meet shortly to discuss the action to be taken.

The Kannada Film Directo-rs' Association (Kanfida) President, S.V. Rajendra Singh (Babu), said that since the early 1950s, feudal forces in Tamil cinema had systematically "damaged and devoured" the Kannada cinema market in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and were bent upon souring the healthy relationship between the two States. According to an estimate, there were over 25 lakh Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu who had been deprived of watching Kannada films for the past several decades. The Kannada film industry had been making attempts to screen Kannada films in Chennai, but in vain. Its fervent appeal to the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, which held a meeting in Mysore recently, was also turned down. It should have realised that the annual turnover of Tamil cinema in the State was around Rs. 20 crore. The Kannada film industry was now mature and strong enough to wrest back its lost markets and protect its existing markets and work towards expanding them. The Kanfida had a detailed discussion on these aspects with the producers', artistes' and Rajkumar Fans' associa-tions. It would certainly take a historic decision shortly, he added. The Producers' Associ-ation President, Basanth Kumar Patil, said imposing a ban on Tamil movies might solve the shortage of cinema halls for Kannada movies. Tamil film exhibitors had approached the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and offered to screen Kannada films on revised rentals.Taking hard decisions would demand a study of the situation as they might lead to political and linguistic problems. Instead of imposing a ban, it would be wise to allow screening of Tamil movies on the condition that equal number of Kannada movies should be screened in Tamil Nadu.

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`Ban' on Tamil movies in State likely