Kannada film inspires farmers' protest

Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar's "Mathadu Mathadu Mallige", about a farmer's struggle to bust the corporate-bureaucrat nexus, has influenced over a hundred farmers of in a Karnataka town, who have decided to oppose a plan to build a thermal power plant on their land.

Last week, the farmers of the Nandagudi town and surrounding villages in the Hoskote taluk of Bangalore district walked into a small town theatre, watched the film, and came out to stage a sit-in against an alleged attempt to acquire their land.

The farmers were protesting against a proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project in their area, which they fear will lead to forcible acquisition of their land.

"Mathadu Mathadu Mallige", with Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini in the lead roles, narrates the tale of a farmer resisting the bid by the corporate-bureaucrat nexus to acquire his land through coercive means.

"Mathadu Mathadu Mallige", released on Aug 24, was well received by the audience and has reportedly led to similar protests in other parts of Karnataka.

The film's impact is being watched with interest in the Kannada film industry.

Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) secretary K.C.N. Kumar said: "The film is going to set a trend. It may well lead to production of more films on such social issues.

"It is nice to see that the film has made an impact on the people and that farmers in different parts of the state are now agitating in defence of their rights."

Indo-Asian News Service