Film row: Kannada activists arrested

Some Kannada activists were arrested by the police after they made a vain attempt to enter the Cauvery theatre in the city on Monday.

The activists had stood in the queue to buy tickets and then enter the film theatre. The police fearing the worst if they entered the cinema house arrested the activists before any damage could be done.

While earlier the owners of Cauvery, Swagath and Vaibhav had decided to screen Veer Zara, it was only Cauvery that decided to screen the film. The movie theatre seemed to have more policemen outside than movie buffs.

About 20 activists of the newly-formed Kannada Rakshana Vedike were arrested on Sunday for protesting against the alleged release of the film in violation of the three-week moratorium agreed on releasing non-Kannada films.

The alleged release of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Veer Zara in Cauvery on Monday saw the vedike members staging a protest march from the Sankey Tank to the Cauvery theatre and then holding a dharna before the theatre.

The owners of Cauvery, Swagath and Vaibhav had to put off the release on Friday following threats from the Kannada Film Producers' Association to protest.

Several sections of the Kannada film industry agreed upon the moratorium in a bid to stem the fading fortunes of Kannada films. Earlier a seven-week stay, it was cut to three weeks after negotiations.