BOMBIEL MEDIA: BJP activists attack 'Christian' Chaplin statue

BANGALORE: The last laugh may be on Charlie Chaplin, cinema's funny man who mocked prejudice and fascism. The Left-leaning, suspected communist Sympathizer was called many names during his eventful life, but `Christian' wasn't one of them. But the new tag comes courtesy BJP activists in Baindur, near Udupi. They have blocked installation of Chaplin’s statue saying it would hurt Hindu sentiment.

The statue was being put up by Karnataka film director Hemant Hegde for the shoot of his movie `Housefull' and was meant for a song sequence. On Friday, local BJP leader Suresh Batwadi stopped the film unit from going ahead with the project, claiming that the land on which the statue was to be erected belonged to the Someshwara temple and the crew lacked the requisite permissions.

Hegde said he had obtained all the clearances and had discussed the shoot with the officials. "I had apprised the gram panchayat and the Udupi deputy commissioner. The BJP activists questioned me as to why I was not installing Vivekananda's statue," he said. He said he planned to shift the shoot elsewhere.

While condemnation poured in from artistes, the local authorities said they couldn't do anything because there was "no complaint registered".

The government is backing the protesters. Home minister V S Acharya, who is in Udupi, told TOI that locals had every right to show their concern. He dismissed reports that BJP workers had objected because Chaplin was a "Christian and not Indian". "It is all fabrication, and a communal colour is being given to it. The local people have valid objections that a statue of 67 feet and of a permanent nature cannot be established." He also claimed permissions had not been obtained.

But the police chief had a different take. "As the location is near a temple, the local people are against installing a Chaplin statue and instead want one of Vivekananda. We will wait for the deputy commissioner's opinion and take suitable action based on that," said Gopal B Hosur, deputy inspector general of police.

Udupi's deputy commissioner of police Hemalatha admitted that Hegde and his team had discussed the shooting schedule and had sought permission for the statue. "I accorded oral permission for a permanent statue at the place where they were constructing on Friday. The official allotment of land was made at the lower level of the revenue department."

"In the last year, episodes of communal intolerance have been shameful events for Karnataka. It's not only because Chaplin's statue is being opposed, it's because these elements are unconstitutional. The constitution allows you the freedom to express your religion. Then how can these extra-constitutional bodies take over?" asked Girish Kasaravalli, noted Kannada film-maker.

Added Jayamala, actress and president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, "How can anyone discriminate against an artist on the basis of religion or caste? Chaplin belongs to all."

Rajeev Gowda, IIM-B professor and Congress politician, said, "These people must be crazy. Chaplin was an artiste who made movies against dictatorship, against the oppression of workers. He united workers and doesn't belong only to the West."

However, local BJP legislator K Lakshminarayana was unapologetic about supporting fellow partyman Suresh Batwadi's fatwa for the removal of the statue. "If the locals are against such a statue, I am also against it. Why should one bother so much about Charlie Chaplin, who was not even an Indian? Who is worried about the Guinness Book of Records for the statue? If we really need one, we can think of installing a Hanuman statue."

Hegde, fearing further trouble and vandalism, has decided to seek other sites now. He has gone to Uttara Kannada and is considering Om beach at Gokarna, or perhaps Karwar, as alternate locations. He has not approached the police, fearing that frequent trips to the police station and the courts would upset his shooting schedule.

Times View: Hindutva brigands attacking a statue of Charlie Chaplin on the grounds that he was a Christian and having his statue close to a temple was offensive to Hindu sentiments may appear too bizzare to be taken seriously. It is indeed ludicrous. But unless such groups are dealt with summarily and the nuisance nipped in the bud, what seems farcical today could become tragically real tomorrow. The state government must show that it will not allow such lumpen activity to go unpunished. It must crack down hard to deter potential imitators of such trends.