TV actors, technicians vandalise Zee Kannada office over dubbing

A group of Kannada serial actors on Monday attacked the Zee Kannada channel office on MG Road and damaged furniture.

They were enraged that the channel had been choosing  programmes originally made in other languages for telecast, thus depriving them of livelihood.

A one-hour programme on Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmi Bai, had been telecast on the channel as part of Independence Day celebrations on Monday, between 12 noon and 1 pm. The actors said that the programme had been dubbed into Kannada from the original Hindi.

The Karnataka Television Association (KTA) has opposed dubbing of programmes from other states, seeking to protect the employment of Kannada TV artistes. A promotional feature of the Rani of Jhansi programme made KTA suspicious that the channel was airing programmes dubbed from other languages.

Nearly 35 KTA members, including its president Ravi Kiran and former president B Suresh, rushed to the channel office and staged a protest. After heated arguments with the channel employees and staffers, the protesters attacked the office. At least 10 computers, glass doors and property worth about Rs10 lakh were damaged. The Ashok Nagar police rushed to the spot and took all 35 persons into custody.

Later, police arrested the 35 persons on a complaint against the protesters. A case of rioting, trespass and causing damage to property was slapped on them. Several other KTA members later rushed to the police station demanding the release of the protesters.

The arrested persons later arrived at a compromise with the Zee channel. The arrested persons were released on bail.

The case could be closed within a few days as Zee officials said the complaint could be withdrawn. Ravi Kiran, KTA president, alleged that the channel had been airing a Hindi serial, Jhansi Ki Rani, after dubbing it in Kannada. “Such practices create problems for local artistes, technicians and other employees. We requested concerned persons months ago, when we first learnt of the dubbed serials. They agreed not to telecast such serials. Despite that, they aired this programme on Monday,” Kiran said.

He admitted that some emotionally-charged artistes damaged the channel office on Monday afternoon. Suresh, former KTA president, said the case would be withdrawn by Zee Kannada officials.

Cable operators too supported KTA and discontinued beaming Zee Kannada from 5 pm onwards on Monday. The ban will end after the case is withdrawn, cable operators and KTA members said.

Zee Kannada officials, however, said although clippings were used from Jhansi Ki Rani, the narration was entirely in Kannada. “We only used video clippings. Not a single word  was voice-dubbed, as the protesters allege,” an official said.