We need to ban' corrupt bureaucrats: Celebs back Sunny after row over K'taka show
Many watch her scintillating moves on their smart phones, and yelp at her sizzling item numbers inside movie theatres. Yet, if you were to see her in broad daylight, it could endanger and ‘pollute’ culture, says a misogynistic and hypocritical society in this new controversy that has risen its ugly head. Recently, the Karnataka government banned Canadian-Indian actress Sunny Leone from performing at a show scheduled to be held near Manyata Tech Park on New Year’s Eve. Apparently, the ban rose out of a fear of law and order problems in the wake of protests by pro-Kannada outfits. Followers of the Karave Yuva Sebe, an off-shoot of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike started protests outside the venue on Friday as they took to burning posters and even hitting the posters with broomsticks. Some folk from the entertainment industry are disturbed by this ban and they lash out at this needless provocation.
“First of all, if there’s anybody we need to ‘ban’ it’s corrupt bureaucrats. So many politicians who’ve been caught up in terrible tangles themselves are allowed to gloat in Karnataka, why is Sunny suddenly an issue?’’ asks Sandalwood actress Dhanya Ramkumar. Sunny Leone took the audience by storm in an interview last year when she revealed how she had resorted to the adult film industry with no apparent pressure, in an era where many cannot even utter the word ‘sex’. While the actress stood her ground, and proved she was here to stay, there is still a large section of society ranting about the dress she wore, and the films she has acted in.
“I do not see how banning one person saves the society from any untoward incidents. Any law abiding citizen should be able to move freely within the country. This decision is of the ignorant, by the ignorant, for the ignorant,’’ says city-based model Kavitha Ravindran. Ironically, Sunny who was the most googled person surpassing the Prime Minister in 2015, is banned because some closed minds thought that it would affect their ‘culture’ adversely.
“Talking about Kannada culture, what happens to the culture when Karnataka MLA’s are caught watching porn in the Assembly? Also, we would never expect an international artist like Rihanna or Beyoncé to come and perform in a sari, then why showcase such a misogynist attitude on Sunny Leone?’’ asks Pooja Soni, an aspiring designer.
According to actor Tarun Arora, it is quite illogical for people to simply barge’s in, and interfere with an individual freedom. “We need to respect her profession, and at the same time respect the sentiments of a particular section of society. For that, one needs to respect her and allow her to attend the event and also give people the freedom to attend or stay away from the event as per their desire. People from different walks of life will have different perspectives, and there will be no chaos if we respect each other’s freedom,’’ Tarun concludes.
