Hindi push: Directors plan unique protest

Pawan Kumar, director of hit Kannada films ‘Lucia’ and ‘U-Turn,’ on Thursday proposed a novel way to oppose Hindi imposition.

He invited directors from the Kannada film industry to make short films for an anthology, and then to request a censor certificate in Kannada.

“Just because the Film Certification Board is a central government body, it doesn’t mean that the certificate should be issued only in English and Hindi,” he says.

Pawan believes it is important to learn lessons from the country’s freedom struggle. “The salt march was not about salt but about driving a point across. Similarly, I have decided to make a Kannada film about Hindi imposition."

Well-known directors K M Chaitanya, P Sheshadri, Suni, M S Sathyu, Arvind Shastry, Ere Gowda, have already agreed to join.

In a state where a majority speaks in Kannada, "government exchange of information should be prioritised in Kannada and English, and not just Hindi and English," he says.

Pawan says he had seen many ‘highs and lows’ on his social media accounts when it came to the protests, and he was not for messages that sounded disrespectful to those speaking Hindi.

Many voices

Several online and offline groups in Karnataka protested on September 14, which the central government celebrates as Hindi Diwas. Actors Chetan Ahimsa, Dhananjaya, Prakash Raj, Viji and Ninasam Satish are among those espousing the Kannada cause.

Contest for script

Pawan Kumar has put out a contest on the page, where people are invited to submit their scripts by September 30. The winner will be awarded Rs 15,000 for the script.
For details, log on to: www.thefuc.in/kannadadalli