Activists in Bangalore on Wednesday vowed to block the release of the forthcoming Rajnikanth-starrer Kuselan in Karnataka, saying the Tamil superstar should apologise for his 'anti-Kannadiga' statements.
The threat comes days after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) had given its nod for the film's release in the state.
On Monday, Rajnikanth had written a letter to KFCC president and actress Jayamala to ensure that his film got a release in Karnataka on August 1, along with its launch in Tamil Nadu. He had clarified that he had never intended to hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas.
Terming the superstar's letter just a publicity stunt, former legislators Vatal Nagaraj and Prabhakara Reddy at a press conference here asked Rajnikanth to come out with a public apology.
"We will not allow the release of the film in Karnataka, come what may," said Nagaraj, who addressed reporters along with many leaders of pro-Kannada organisations including a faction of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.
Some Kannada organisations had been demanding that Kuselan be released in the state only after a seven-week moratorium as Rajnikanth had allegedly hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas by supporting Tamil Nadu on a row over a drinking water project in Hogenekkal, on the border between the two states.
The superstar had joined the Tamil film fraternity in a daylong protest fast in April against Karnataka's objections to the Rs 13.3 billion Hogenekkal project that is expected to benefit about three million people in two Tamil Nadu districts.
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