When actor and activist Chetan Kumar was arrested by the Bengaluru Police in February 2022, he received support from just a couple of his colleagues in the Kannada film industry. Days after his release, the actor, who is also known as Chetan Ahimsa, had told TNM that he did not expect his industry colleagues to ever speak up for him. As the Bengaluru Police arrested him once again on March 21, this time on flimsier grounds, Chetan’s prediction came true — there was complete silence from his colleagues.
This is not unusual for members of the Kannada film industry, whose reaction was similarly docile when Hamsalekha, a legendary lyricist and music composer, was targeted by right-wing groups for his comments on tokenism by people from privileged castes when they visit houses of Dalits. In November 2021, Hamsalekha had criticised late seer Vishwesha Theertha Swami of Pejawar mutt and his visits to Dalit colonies with claims of trying to remove caste barriers. Hamsalekha had asked if the seer would have eaten a meal with the Dalit residents if he was served meat. The Hindu Mahasabha threatened to hold a massive protest over Hamsalekha’s remarks, and Brahmin associations filed police complaints against him. Hamsalekha was finally forced to issue an apology. While Dalit groups, Ambedkarites and many political activists came out in his support, his colleagues from the film industry for whom he had composed hundreds of songs since the 1980s, watched on silently.
But in stark contrast, in 2011, when actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was arrested and sent to 14 days in judicial custody for allegedly assaulting his wife, the industry had rallied around him. Many of his colleagues including senior actors had openly made statements in Darshan’s favour, calling it a domestic issue and hoping the couple would reconcile, the assault charges notwithstanding. In December last year, when Darshan was attacked with a slipper during a film promotion event, many members of the film industry including Kichcha Sudeep and Shiva Rajkumar spoke up in his favour.
So why does the industry, which had lent its support to an actor facing domestic violence charges, not stand by other colleagues when they are hounded, threatened and even jailed?
An insider who has worked with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) for close to a decade says, “Most stars here worry that if they speak up, there will be repercussions for them too, like we have seen in the Hindi film industry. We have seen huge stars dragged to police stations over drugs-related cases. Boycott calls are often given ahead of movie releases. Even Shah Rukh Khan was not spared”.
Members of the Kannada film industry, unlike their Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam counterparts, often choose to stay away from political matters. Barring a few issues, the actors and filmmakers have chosen to stay reticent in voicing their opinions. One might call it discretion or even caution but on many occasions, it has come across as sheer cowardice.
In March 2022, soon after Chetan was released on bail after being arrested over a tweet about one of the Karnataka High Court judges hearing the hijab issue, he had said, “The film industry is a business and people here don’t have concern, courage or even insight about societal ongoings.” This time, Chetan was arrested over a tweet from March 20, 2023, in which he stated that "Hindutva is built on lies."
Watch: Police hid me for hours, cannot expect support from Kannada film industry: Chetan Kumar interview
Filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh says that Kannada stars and popular directors don’t speak up about political matters because they think it is not their headache. “Not just Kannada but most film industries across India are apolitical. And Chetan is highly political. I think his logic is not wrong, but the way he says things is not easy for the general public to understand. Our group FIRE stands by him and we are supporting him in our own ways,” she says. Kavitha, along with Chetan and many others, founded Film Industry for Rights & Equality (FIRE) in 2017, after #MeToo allegations surfaced in the Kannada film industry. The association was started with the aim to make the industry a safe and healthy workspace for its members.
KM Chaitanya, who directed Chetan’s debut film Aa Dinagalu, also says that there has been no reaction because the Kannada film industry is not very politically inclined. “Usually, the Kannada film industry does not react when there is a religious or political issue. This is probably because of the example set by [senior actors] Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan. The Tamil and Telugu industries follow the examples set by their superstars. In Tamil Nadu, MGR and Karunanidhi were active in politics, and so was NTR in Andhra Pradesh,” he says.
Tamil superstar Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran was with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for many years and later founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). He served as the third Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1980 till his death in 1987. M Karunanidhi, who was a popular writer and screenwriter, also served as the CM of Tamil Nadu for a record five terms between 1969 and 2011. Veteran Telugu actor-filmmaker Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served as Andhra Pradesh CM for seven years.
Chaitanya says Rajkumar, who is a role model for the Kannada film industry, got involved in politics only during the Gokak Chaluvali but stayed away from all other ideological and political issues. The Gokak agitation was a language rights movement in the 1980s led by veteran actor Rajkumar who enjoyed immense popularity and support in the state. The movement demanded primacy for Kannada and asked for it to be taught mandatorily in schools in Karnataka.
Since then, there have been very few instances where members of the film industry have openly protested for any cause even remotely connected to politics. During the 1990s, when Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were often at loggerheads over the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute, film industries on both sides of the border would often stage protests. The only times the Kannada film industry has taken a clear stand has been to voice pro-Kannada, pro-Karnataka sentiments, but never to condemn instances of casteism or communalism.
But in Chetan’s case, there are other reasons for the industry’s silence, says Chaitanya. “Chetan has been more of an activist and has distanced himself from the film industry. He has worked in films but doesn’t have active fan clubs like other stars do. He has not done films with a mass following because he has been picky about the kind of films he does. Also, Chetan’s friends in the industry, who are very few in number, do not want to get involved in this ideological, political fight,” he says.
Senior journalist and Kannada film critic Muralidhara Khajane says that another issue with defending Chetan is that he has taken up a lot of causes, and has ideological differences with many groups. “It becomes hard to defend him, given that he posts tweets against people all the time and many groups are offended by him,” he says.
Chetan has expressed views opposing members of the Kannada film industry in many cases. For example, when Rishab Shetty — actor and director of the hugely popular movie Kantara — said that the Bhoota Kola tradition of coastal Karnataka was a part of Hindu culture, Chetan had contradicted him. Chetan had argued that Bahujan traditions such as Bhoota Kola predate Brahminical Hinduism and cannot be called Hindu culture. Although many activists had expressed similar opinions, Chetan was the only one from the industry to voice them in public. He was booked over these comments in October last year, based on complaints by Hindu groups Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagarana Vedike.
In another instance, in February 2023, Chetan spoke against the government spending public money on building memorials for popular actors such as Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. Chetan had tweeted that instead of memorials for stars, the land could be put to better use by building museums promoting Kannada art and culture.
Actor and filmmaker Sunil Puranik, who is the chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, a government-appointed body formed to promote Kannada films, says that he is in favour of Chetan’s arrest. “During British rule, if anyone shouted slogans against the authorities, they would be sent to the gallows. During Mughal rule, they would be tortured and killed. But now, using the excuse of freedom of speech, if one talks defamatory nonsense against the country and Hindu dharma, how is it fair? If a person had spoken against other religions, they would not have been spared,” he says.
When asked about the industry’s reluctance to stand up against Chetan’s arrest, he claimed that the industry associations would not support those who were in the wrong. “Only if you have done something right but are still persecuted for it, will there be support. Chetan cannot speak lies and expect our support,” he adds.