History repeats itself in Karnataka for superstar Rajnikanth. Last June, there were huge protests against the release of his Sivaji: The Boss by the pro-Kannada groups, who wanted non-Kannada films to be released only seven weeks after they released in their respective states. They reasoned that non-Kannada films gave tough competition to their film industry. However, Sivaji did release in many centres in Karnataka on the same day, it was released nation-wide.
Now, the problem starts again, with his new film Kuselan, set to release on July 31.
More than 500 prints are facing protests from the pro-Kannada lobbies, represented by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) headed by Shivarame Gowda and former member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Kannada Chaluvali Party leader, Vatal Nagaraj.
"We will not allow the release of Kuselan because Rajni spoke against the interests of Kannadigas. Also, because we want all non-Kannada films to be released only after seven weeks after its release in their respective states," Praveen Kumar Shetty, a leader belonging to the KRV, said.
The Vedike volunteers sat in a dharna in front of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) demanding Rajnikanth's apology. However, the KFCC has not been against the simultaneous release of Kuselan.
Jayamala, the newly elected president of KFCC, says that the organisation cannot prevent the release of any film by its own members.
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"Kuselan is being produced by K Balachandar, who has directed and produced many Kannada films. He is also responsible for introducing many Kannada artists like Rajnikanth, Sundar Raj and Prakash Raj to the Tamil film industry. It would be unfair for us to prevent the release of Balachandar's film," said Jayamala.
Rajnikanth's speech at the Hogenakkal rally had angered Kannada activists. He had said that Tamil Nadu had a right to continue its work in the Hogenakkal project. Later, Rajni refused to apologise and said that he had done nothing wrong.
"I will only apologise only if people like Parvathamma Raj Kumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, K S Aswath and Girish Karnad say that I have made a mistake," said Rajni. He added that if his films are not screened in Karnataka, he would not lose anything, but his fans in Karnataka would lose an opportunity to watch the film.
This further angered the Kannada activists, including Chandrashekhara Patil, the president of the Kannada Sahithya Parishath.
"I want Rajni to apologise for his misdemeanor to the entire population of Kannadigas and not just five people, who have been selected by him. He has every right to defend the interests of Tamil Nadu, but has no right to criticise the pro-Kannada activists or talk against the legitimate interests of the state," Patil declared.
Kuselan, directed by P Vasu, has been brought by a Bangalore-based distributor for a lot of money but there has been not much publicity so far. However, the distributors are confident that like in case of Sivaji, protests would die down in a few days.
There are rumours that Rajnikanth is making an effort to see that Kuselan is released in the state without any hiccups. Sources in the film industry say that the star has made a few secret trips to Bangalore to have discussions with a few friends in the Kannada film industry, including Ambareesh. Sources reveal that he has asked Parvathamma Raj Kumar for his support.
