‘Anna Hazare’ runs into trouble

Trust Sandalwood to try and cash in on any hot topic. The latest is producer Sampath Kumar’s effort to make a film named Anna Hazare. Whether the movie has anything to do with the anti-corruption crusader or not, he aims to reap full benefit from the aura surrounding the name.

But the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) will have none of it, and has rejected the title.

A KFCC functionary said, “The rules are clear. Prior permission is required for titles that have names of celebrities. Apart from that, we require the synopsis of the film before approval so that the film does not damage their reputation. Then there are some people who come up with ridiculous and vulgar titles. Recent rejects include, Tale Burude, (Skull) and Electric Kamba.”

Not to be cowed down, the producer is set to fight it out in topical Anna Hazare style by going on a fast in front of the KFCC shortly.

Sampath Kumar said some big stars agreed to star in his film only because of the title, and without it there would be little chance of making the multi-starrer. But the KFCC is unmoved; last year, it faced a problem with cop Kiran Bedi, when someone came up with a film in her name. KFCC rules expressly prohibit film titles with names offamous personalities unless their written permission is obtained. Kiran Bedi became Kannadada Kiran Bedi after producers had some backdoor negotiations with the cop.

According to sources, Sampath Kumar had even submitted the script of his film to the KFCC. The film is about five youths who take on their corrupt parents after being inspired by Anna Hazare. Kumar is angry that the KFCC which had approved titles like Veerappan earlier is not relenting now. The KFCC was involved in another controversy recently after producer Dwarakish decided to name his film Vishnuvardhana, apparently trying to capitalise on the popularity of late actor Vishnuvardhan. Now he has been asked to add a prefix ‘Raja’ or ‘Veera’ before the name, as a compromise solution.

When it comes to cashing in on a current event, veteran director S Narayan proved that he can be quick off the block, by announcing plans to make a film on Raghu, the tragic lover who was blinded when he tried to attend the wedding of his former lover Anusha recently. Narayan met Raghu in the hospital, and announced a film with his son as the lead actor.