Kaala faces stiff protests, not released in Bengaluru

Rajinikanth starrer 'Kaala' was not released in Bengaluru and other parts of the state amidst protest by Pro-Kannada organizations on Thursday.

In Bengaluru, single-screen theaters known to release Tamil movies are not screening the movie amidst protests. Urvashi, Nataraja, Sampige and Vinayak theaters in Bengaluru are known to screen Tamil, Telugu movies.

Also, in the wake of the protest, the screening of the movie has been stalled in Orion mall in Malleswaram, Garuda and Lido malls in Bengaluru central district.

In other parts of the state, cinema hall owners in Mysore, Mandya, Raichur, Belgaum and Chikkaballapura districts did not screen the movie.

According to reports, round 300 police personnel have been deployed near town hall to avoid untoward incidents. Meanwhile, Vatal Nagaraj and other Kannada activists have been taken into custody.

The 67-year-old Tamil superstar made a fervent appeal in Kannada to various stakeholders for the screening of the action film across the state a day before the release. The film is facing a "ban" in the state over Rajinikanth's remarks on the controversial issue of sharing of Cauvery river water between the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Upset over the 67-year-old actor-politician's remarks, the highest film body of Karnataka, Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce, banned the movie. Several pro-Kannada groups have also warned theatres not to screen the film if they want to avoid any untoward incident.