In what is now being seen as shameful behaviour and one that puts the Kannada film industry and Kannadigas in bad light, Tamil actor Siddharth was unduly caught in the eye of a storm when unindentified activists hailing from self-styled fringe groups, stormed his press event during the promotions of his film Chithha in Bengaluru.
The activists protested against the promotion of a Tamil film in their state owing to the ongoing Cauvery water dispute. While the actor maintained his calm and tried his best to dissolve the situation, he was eventually forced out of the venue.
Following the unfortunate events, actor/politician Prakash Raj was one of the first public figures to acknowledge and apologise to the Rang De Basanti actor for his predicament and lashed out at those who would rather target actors than demand explanations from elected representatives.
Joining Raj, Kannada superstar and Jailer actor Shiva Rajkumar has now also rendered an unconditional apology to the actor. In a now viral video on the internet, the actor said, “On behalf of my industry, I would like to say we are very very sorry to Siddharth. I am hurt because of the incident, which will never happen again. Kannada people are good. They love all films and all languages. Only people of Karnataka watch all kinds of films.”
Watch the video below where the Ghost actor addressed a public gathering in Bengaluru on Friday afternoon.
THE ISSUE
Farmer bodies, Kannada organisations and opposition parties are protesting against the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directing the state to release 5000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring state, Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government has decided to challenge the Cauvery panel's orders in the Supreme Court.
ABOUT CHITHHA
Dealing with the troubling subject of child abuse, Chithha stars Siddharth as a common man who must look out for the serial culprit and save his little niece. Directed by Arun Kumar, the movie also stars Nimisha Sajayan of The Great Indian Kitchen fame.
SHIVA RAJKUMAR ON THE WORK FRONT
The actor will appear in Ghost, an upcoming Kannada heist drama, which will be directed by M. G. Srinivas. The film also stars Jayaram, Anupam Kher, Prashant Narayanan, Satya Prakash, and Archana Jois and is slated to release in cinemas on October 19. The official trailer of the film will be launched on September 30.
