The Hindu : Karnataka News : Film producer questions decision on award

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 31, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka

Film producer questions decision on award

Staff Reporter

He contended that the best supporting award should have gone to Vinaya Prasad

Dhanraj has produced the film Koti Chennayya
Government denies any illegality in selection of award

BANGALORE: In perhaps one of the strangest cases of its kind, the producer of a regional language film on Thursday moved the Karnataka High Court against the decision of the State Government to nominate one of the two heroines in his film for best supporting actor award.

Claiming that his film Koti Chennayya deserved the best regional film award and also alleging several other illegalities in the nomination of the film awards for 2006-07, the producer, R. Dhanaraj, urged the court to stay the award for the best regional film and also the award for the best supporting actor (female).

In his petition filed a day after the court rejected Baragur Ramachandrappa’s plea to stay the awards list, Mr. Dhanaraj said during 2006 he had produced Koti Chennayya, a historical film in Tulu based on events that occurred in Tulu Nadu more than 450 years ago.

He said Vinaya Prasad and Neetu Kumari were among the several actors in the film.

The Selection Committee for State Film Awards 2006 had erred in not selecting Koti Chennayya for the best regional film and instead selected Badi. He said while his film was historical and had been made for the fi rst time, Badi was based on dowry harassment. Saying that his film was much better than Badi, he claimed that several films about dowry harassment had already hit the silver screen and there was nothing new or unique about it. Questioning the legality, validity and correctness of the selection of films, he said only a handful of the committee members had watched his film.

Mr. Dhanaraj took the court by surprise when he said one of the actors in his film, Ms. Neetu who was cast in the role of “Devi Baidedi” was selected for the best supporting award. He said Ms. Neetu is the heroine of his film and the best supporting award should have gone to Ms. Vinaya Prasad, who he said, was one of the most talented artistes in the film industry.

He said Vaman Nandavor, who has researched Koti Chennayya was awarded a doctorate by Mangalore University. When he again argued that the best supporting actor should have gone to Ms. Vinaya Prasad and not to Ms. Neetu, Justice Ajit Gunjal who was hearing the petition, was provoked to remark whether Mr. Dhanaraj was holding a brief for Ms. Vinaya Prasad. Opposing the plea for stay, Additional Government Advocate, Veerappa, said a producer could not sit in judgment as to which actor in his film should get an award. He said the selection was done by a panel of members and that it could not be done as per the “whims and fancies” of a producer.

He also denied any illegality in the selection of the award for the best film in regional language. He produced before the court an attendance sheet showing that all the members of the committee had attended the screening of Koti Chennay ya.