#MeToo | Pressurised by Sandalwood, Sanjjanaa apologises to director for speaking out

News Network

November 13, 2018

Bengaluru, Nov 13: In a development that clearly re-emphasised the male dominance in Kannada film industry, actress Sanjjanaa Galrani, who three weeks ago had joined the #MeToo bandwagon, has apologised to director Ravi Srivatsa for publicly accusing him of harassing her during the shooting of the erotic thriller film, Ganda Hendathi.

The 29-year-old actress had claimed the director had forced her to enact intimate scenes, which she was not comfortable with. She had claimed that she had signed up for only one kissing scene but was eventually asked to shoot 15 such scenes. In her statement, she had said her father was ‘ashamed of the way the movie eventually turned out’ and that the director had threatened her and yelled at her.

The issue had snowballed into a controversy with Srivatsa complaining to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and the Kannada Film Directors Association alleging that Sanjjanaa had tarnished his image by making false allegations. Senior Sandalwood actors intervened and held discussions with both the actor and the director even as an informal probe was under way.

“None of her accusations is worthy. If she belonged to a cultural family as she claims, then why did she sign the film…The script was narrated to her before the shoot…I demand an apology,” Srivatsa had said.

Actor Ambareesh requested the actress to apologise for making such ‘baseless allegations’ against a member of the directors’ association of the Kannada film industry. Sanjjanaa apologised to Srivatsa at Ambareesh’s residence in the presence of director Roopa Iyer, producer Rockline Venkatesh, association president Nagendra Prasad and others.

During the meeting, Sanjjanaa said that she had used the #MeToo platform to discuss her ordeal but didn’t mean to offend anyone.

“I was very young when it happened to me and was disturbed, but today things are different. My intentions were not to hurt anyone in the industry or members of the directors’ association. I am very sorry,” said Sanjjanaa in her helpless apology.

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Voting underway in Karnataka bypolls: Family legacies and political heavyweights battle across 3 segments

News Network

November 13,2024

Bengaluru: An estimated overall 10.14 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the first two hours, since the voting began for bypolls to three Assembly segments in Karnataka on Wednesday, election officials said.

The voting began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm.

More than seven lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in about 770 polling stations in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna, where a total of 45 candidates are in the fray.

While Channapatna recorded 10.34 per cent voter turnout till 9 am, it was 10.08 per cent in Shiggaon, and 9.99 per cent in Sandur, election officials said.

Voters, including women and elderly were seen queuing up in front of polling booths in these segments.

By-polls for Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna are necessitated, as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) -- to Lok Sabha in May elections.

As many as 31 candidates are in the fray from Channapatna, while Sandur and Shiggaon have six and eight contenders, respectively.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the three segments for the smooth conduct of the polls.

The by-polls will witness a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA alliance is in contest against the grand old party.

Among the three segments, Channapatna is considered to be a "high profile", where the contest is between C P Yogeeshwara, a five time MLA from the segment and former Minister, who joined the Congress quitting BJP ahead of nomination, and actor-turned -politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is Kumaraswamy’s son and former PM H D Deve Gowda's grandson.

BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, is fighting Congress Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former Chief Minister in the 2023 Assembly polls, in Shiggaon.

Bharath Bommai and his father cast their vote at a polling booth in Shiggaon segment.

In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is contesting from the seat vacated by her husband, against, BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, who is considered close to party leader and former mining barron G Janardhan Reddy.

Annapurna, Tukaram and other family members cast their votes at a booth in the segment.

With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families are in the fray in this by-poll. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's Chief Ministers in the past.

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