[lg policy] India: Archaic Karnataka policy blacks out Aamir Khan's tv show Satyamev Jayathe

[Harold Schiffman]

Archaic Karnataka policy blacks out Aamir Khan's tv show Satyamev Jayathe

An archaic 'anti-dubbing policy', which neither has any legal backing
nor supported by legislation, prevented millions of fans of Aamir Khan
from watching his TV programme Satyamev Jayathe in Kannada on Sunday.
The serial was telecast in its Hindi version on national channels.

Preventing Aamir from dubbing his Hindi serial into Kannada is likely
to take a major turn because the Competition Commission of India (CCI)
has in the past reprimanded the state because it amounts to violation
of fundamental rights.

The Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) and Karnataka
Television Association (KTA) are opposing dubbed movies and TV serials
contending that they lack local flavour and that dubbing would shrink
opportunities for local talent in all aspects of film-making.

"We had asked Aamir Khan to produce the whole series in Kannada
because he could connect well with the audiences. Everyone is aware
that dubbing of movies and serials from other languages to Kannada is
not encouraged and appreciated because it will affect the livelihood
of local talent in the long run. Besides, there are cultural issues
attached to it," KTA president Ravi Kiran contended.

Incidentally, Aamir Khan had written a detailed letter to the KFCC
emphasising the need to permit dubbing of Satyamev Jayathe because the
programme focused on social issues. But the response is negative from
the KFCC and KTA.

There is no written rule against dubbing of other language movies and
TV serials into Kannada. While Hollywood movies and Hindi movies are
dubbed into Telugu and Tamil and released in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu, it is not possible in Karnataka.

There is even a restriction on the number of theatres that have to
screen other language movies because the KFCC feels the number of
screens in Karnataka is inadequate to accommodate all language movies
at the cost of Kannada movies.

The KFCC had to face the court's wrath after restricting the number of
theatres for screening Mani Ratnam's Hindi movie Raavan and Hrithik
Roshan's Kites in 2010. The CCI had ordered the KFCC to compensate for
the losses caused to the distributor in the process.

According to film critics, the whole argument that Kannada movies and
TV serials have limited market and cannot compete against dubbed
movies is farce because film-making has evolved into an industry with
crores of rupees being invested every year. According to them, quality
films in Kannada will automatically compete against other language
movies.

"Dubbing is allowed in other states, why not Karnataka? If we don't
compete with other language movies, how will we evolve into a mature
film industry? We have to grab this threat as an opportunity to
produce exceptional movies that compete with other language movies.
Dubbing is being prevented only for the benefit of a few greedy film
producers. It has nothing to do with saving language or a culture
because everybody, including actors and technicians, are getting paid
for their work," contended noted film critic M Prasanna.

The state government has also made its stand clear that it cannot
oppose dubbing because it cannot be legislated.

Various sections of the audience are in favour of dubbing of other
languages movies and TV serials into Kannada because they don't
understand Hindi or Telugu or Tamil. "A fraction of the state's
population understands other languages. Kannada TV serial or film
producers can never make epics on the lines of Ramayan and Mahabharata
because of the monies involved. Then, why should we be denied
opportunities to watch such mega programmes in our own language?"
wondered Adithi B, an engineer.

The Kannada film industry is going through a tough time with hardly
handful blockbusters in 2011 among the 124 films that were released.
If the film industry does not reverse its stand on dubbing, it could
be facing a legal mess.


Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/karnataka-policy-blacks-out-aamir-khans-tv-show/1/187735.html

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