Film stars support farmers on Cauvery issue

BANGALORE: Actors got into the act on Wednesday and extended support to the ongoing farmers'' agitation on Cauvery through a `Cauvery nammadu'' (Cauvery is ours) march on the main roads of Bangalore.
A few days ago, farmers in Mandya had expressed ire that the film industry had not responded to the Cauvery agitation and stoned some theatres there.
Led by Rajkumar, a film industry delegation including Mandya MP and actor Ambarish, Anant Nag, MLCs Mukhyamantri Chandru and Umasri and others called on Governor T.N.Chaturvedi and Chief Minister S.M. Krishna to submit a memorandum expressing the film industry''s views on the issue.
``Both of them read the memorandum, but neither of them assured us of any action on it,'''' Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce president K.V. Chandrashekar said.
This is the second time in the last two years that the film industry has come to the streets on an issue. On September 21, 2000, a similar march was taken out to press for Rajkumar''s release from the clutches of Veerappan.
On Wednesday, people started gathering at the Maharani''s Arts College grounds from 9 am. The procession, which was supposed to take off at 10 am, started half an hour late and wound its way past Cauvery Bhavan, through K.G. Road, Hudson Circle and Kasturba Road to Gandhi Statue on M.G. Road.
Nag and film heroes Shivrajkumar, Upendra, Ravichandran, Ramesh, Srinath, Devraj, Raghavendra, Puneet, Sudeep, Darshan, Sourav and others walked despite the unruly crowd, along with actresses Jaimala, Umasri, Pramila Joshai, Raksha and several TV artistes.
Industry representatives, including Directors'' Association president Rajendra Singh Babu, Artistes'' Association secretary Sunderraj, director Kashinath, music director Hamsalekha and other top technicians also participated.