Today’s stir off, bundh continues

Today’s stir off, bundh continues
Deccan Herald

The Kannada filmdom’s proposed Rajkumar-led hunger strike in front of the theatres which are screening new non-Kannada films on Wednesday has been called off, reports DHNS from Bangalore. However, the ongoing film industry bundh against theatres defying the informal three-week moratorium in Bangalore, will continue indefinitely.

Kannada film producers took this decision on Tuesday evening following Chief Minister N Dharam Singh’s assurance that the government would resolve all issues including the dispute over the three-week moratorium, Kannada Film Producers’ Association President Basant Kumar Patil told Deccan Herald.

Mr Singh also urged the producers not to resort to hunger strike and has sought some time to resolve the issue of moratorium. “Mr Singh has asked for some time to resolve the moratorium issue as the Supreme Court has ruled against imposing it,” Mr Patil added.

However, there is no change in the Kannada film industry’s stand on observing a bundh till the issue is settled. “The industry will remain shut indefinitely till the issue of moratorium is settled and we will not make any compromise on it,” he clarified.

The producers and all Kannada organisations had decided on Monday to stage a hunger strike in front of the six theatres in Bangalore where the new Hindi film Veer-Zaara is being screened in violation of the informal three-week moratorium. Earlier, representatives of both the producers and the exhibitors held a meeting for nearly four hours at Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) to discuss the crisis.

Exhibitors’ decision
The exhibitors in Bangalore, except those presently screening Veer-Zaara, are learnt to have assured that they will stick to the three-week moratorium on the release of non-Kannada films, according to industry sources.