"Kannada" activists smash multiplex

Activists of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike pelting stones at the Innovative Multiplex. Photo: Deccan Herald


Glass panes of Innovative Multiplex lie shattered after a pro-Kannada mob launched an attack against the theatre complex for defying the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada movies, in Bangalore on Saturday. The complex was showing Bride and Prejudice and Dhoom at the time of the attack. Photo: Times of India


Kannada activists attack theatre
Times of India

The tussle over the screening of other-language films turned ugly on Saturday when a mob of Kannada activists attacked the Innovative Multiplex at Marathahalli here.

The multiplex was one of the seven theatres in the city that had released the Hindi film Dhoom and the Aishwarya Rai starrer Bride and Prejudice on Friday, defying the seven-week moratorium on the release of other-language films in Karnataka. While the screening of the movies was halted for a while, shows continued in the evening under police protection.

Theatre owners said screenings would continue irrespective of threat calls made to them. “Any contentious issue has to be resolved through negotiations. We will not be intimidated by these attacks. Screening of new releases will continue as it does not violate any law,’’ Karnataka Film Exhibitors’ Federation chairman R.P. Odugoudar told the Sunday Times of India over phone from Hubli.

Chief minister Dharam Singh has directed Bangalore police commissioner S. Mariswamy to conduct a probe into the incident. Trouble broke out around 11.30 am when a 50-strong squad stoned the multiplex, shattering its glass panes. Film viewers rushed out of the building and had a narrow escape when the mob threw stones, damaging the building.

A single police constable posted at the multiplex watched helplessly as the mob struck. Though private security guards attempted to cordon off the area, the mob proved too strong for them.
The rampage continued till police reinforcements arrived. All attackers escaped.

Photojournalist Ananth Subramanya and TV cameraman Senthil Kumar were badly beaten up. They sustained grievous head injuries. Two others were injured too. Their equipment was destroyed. The staffers accused the mediapersons of having instigated the attack. When the police arrived, the staffers snatched the cameraman’s equipment and handed over Ananth to the police. Representatives of some other Kannada channels were also injured.

The mediapersons have lodged separate complaints with the HAL police, while multiplex owner Saravana Prasad has said in his complaint that “some miscreants’’ stoned the building. Earlier, Anuradha, a multiplex official, was injured when a large stone struck her on the head. She was shifted to hospital.

Both Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) president H.D. Gangaraju and Kannada Film Producers’ Association president Basant Kumar Patil rushed to the spot and condemned the incident. Gangaraju said he was cross-checking the claims of the multiplex owner that Bride and Prejudice had been internationally released on July 19, so its screening was not violative of the moratorium.

“Till then, the theatre owners can screen Bride and Prejudice. On the issue of Dhoom, we are relaxing the seven-week moratorium as six weeks are already over,’’ Gangaraju said. Patil said theatre owners are playing with the sentiments of the local population. The Association would chalk out an action plan on Monday to protest the violation of the moratorium.

The police commissioner said no arrests have been made yet. Security has been tightened at all theatres. The Photojournalists’ Association of Bangalore, Reporters’ Guild and Press Club of Bangalore have condemned the attack.


Other reports:

Kannada fans smash Multiplex theatre in Bangalore: Vijay Times
Film tussle takes ugly turn: New Indian Express
Theatre staff take out ire against DH journo: Deccan Herald