Amidst the controversy surrounding the release of Rajinikanth starrer Kaala in Karnataka, newly elected chief minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, has said that makers of Kaala should avoid release in Karnataka. In an ‘appeal’ as a Kannadiga, he has requested the makers of Kaala to not release it in Karnataka in ‘this kind of atmosphere’.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka High Court had asked the state to provide security to the centres screening the movie. To that, Kumaraswamy said that though his government will obey the court directions but his ‘personal opinion as a Kannadiga’ was against the release of the movie in the state. Rajinikanth’s remarks that Karnataka Government should implement the order on Cauvery water in letter and spirit without getting into “technicalities of whether it is going to be an authority or a board”.
Kumaraswamy said that as an experienced person, he knows how releasing the film will not be financially viable for the distributors. He questioned distributors on ‘unnecessarily’ releasing a movie that could create controversy.
In Tamil Nadu, too, his film has run into protests for his stand on Tuticorin Sterlite protests where he blamed the anti-social elements for the violence during the anti-Sterlite rally on 22nd May which resulted in the death of 13 people in police firing. He had even asked for an ‘iron fist’ policy to crush the anti-socials.
Actor Kamal Haasan, whose statement on Tuticorin protests reminded people eerily of Kashmir uprising, slammed Rajinikanth and is reported to have said that if the protestors are anti-social, so am I. Meanwhile, opposition leaders have already branded Rajinikanth as BJP’s team B.
