Information Minister R. Roshan Baig on Thursday assured the Legislative Council of organising a meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and prominent personalities of the Kannada film industry to discuss the ways and means of preventing dubbing of films into Kannada.
Replying to a calling attention notice tabled by film actor-turned BJP MLC Tara, Mr. Baig said personalities from different trades of the Kannada film field such as artistes, producers, directors, technicians and scriptwriters would be invited for the proposed meeting.
Responding to the concern expressed by the members cutting across party affiliations that a report of the Competition Commission of India that had favoured allowing dubbing of films of other languages into Kannada would be detrimental to the interests of the Kannada film industry and artistes, the Minister noted that the government did not have jurisdiction in this regard. “But the government is committed to protecting the interests of the Kannada film industry and will explore all possibilities in this regard,” he said.
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He pointed out that despite not having jurisdiction over the issue of dubbing, the State had been discouraging dubbing by way of not extending any tax concessions, subsidies and annual awards to dubbed and remade films.
Earlier, Ms. Tara expressed fear that thousands of artistes and technicians may lose their livelihood if dubbing was allowed. The former Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) Floor Leader M. C. Nanaiah, who introduced the policy of not extending any facilities to dubbed films when he was the Information Minister in 1994, suggested to Mr. Baig to enact a legislation to prevent dubbing.