A bandh called by the Sandalwood (Cinema of Karnataka) on Monday evoked strong response against dubbing of other language films and television serials to Kannada.
The protest called by the Kannada film artistes against dubbing threw traffic in many parts of Bangalore out of gear as thousands of fans of film stars joined the protest which also saw closure of many theatres across the State.
Kannada film stars like, Shivarajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar, Sudeep, and others took part in a rally that choked traffic in many parts of the city.
The bandh was called by various Kannada organisations led by Vatala Nagaraj of the Kannada Chaluvali and organisations affiliated to film industry were protesting against dubbing to Kannada. However, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce did not take part in the protest. Meanwhile the Kannada Film Producers Association said that dubbing produces more jobs to film industry. However, the film artistes and other Kannada bodies went ahead to protest against dubbing. Addressing the gathering Shivarajkumar said, “We are not against other language films. We are against dubbing. We want them to come but do not support dubbing.”