DKS: Film industry must show commitment to land, language, water

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Urging the Kannada film industry to demonstrate commitment to the language, water, culture, and land of Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar today expressed his anger and disappointment over the lack of support from the film fraternity for the Mekedatu padayatra. Speaking at the inauguration of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, he said, “I am unhappy and angry with the Kannada film fraternity for not backing our fight for Mekedatu. The film industry must show commitment to the language, water, and culture of this land.” “The Mekedatu padayatra was a fight for Bengaluru’s drinking water. It was a battle for the state’s interests. Despite Covid, Siddaramaiah and I undertook a 150-km padayatra. Except for a few, no one from the film industry turned up to show their support, despite us extending invitations to all. I am angry about this,” he said.

“Very few from the film industry association participated. Among actors, only Sadhu Kokila and Duniya Vijay joined us. Some people use and discard actors, but we are not like that. We made Sadhu Kokila the Chairman of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy. It is important to honor those who stand by us in tough times. What good are those who don’t support us during difficult times?” he added. Film festival for film industry “This film festival is not a private event for politicians and a handful of actors. It is a programme for the entire industry, yet only a few actors have participated. Why should the government organize a film festival if actors, directors, producers, and exhibitors are not interested? Treat this as an appeal or a caution, but the film fraternity must attend such events in the future,” he warned. I have a connection to the industry “I was also an exhibitor and used to run a theatre named after Indira Gandhi. I owned four touring talkies, though they are no longer functional.

We have 23 screens in our malls, but I haven’t seen even a single movie in them. In my younger days, I watched the movie Satya Harishchandra 15 times. Many politicians have tried to launch their children into politics through movies. Some have succeeded, while others have failed. Our very own Jayalalithaa and Rajinikanth became superstars in other states,” he reminisced. IIFA in Bengaluru “A team met me to discuss hosting the next IIFA Awards in Bengaluru. I will discuss this with the CM after another round of meetings with the organizers.

The Kannada film industry has gone global in recent years—congratulations to everyone who made this possible,” he noted. “The CM is determined to establish a film city in Mysuru. The proposal that was submitted was rejected, but we will revisit it after the budget and set up an international-standard film city in Mysuru,” he added.