'Shocked and hurt': Prakash Raj on Sudeep campaigning for BJP

Hours after Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep backed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections, actor-politician Prakash Raj on Wednesday expressed shock over his latest statemet.

"I am shocked and hurt by Kichcha Sudeep's statement," Raj, who is a vocal critic of the saffron party, he said.

Earlier in the day, Sudeep, who has a huge fan following in the state and is one of the highest paid actors of Kannada cinema, however, made it clear that he is not entering politics and neither is he contesting the polls. The actor indicated that he is not backing a party.

Stressing his affection and respect for the Chief Minister and recalling that he stood by him during difficult times and shared a very close bond with his family, the actor announced his support to Bommai.

''There were only a few people who stood by me during my difficult times and among them the main person and my loved one is Basavaraj Bommai 'mama'. It is a duty and gratitude that I have for this loveable person,'' the multi-lingual actor said.

Sudeep, best known for his performance in films such as 'Swathi Muthu', 'Kempe Gowda', 'Eega', and 'Pailwaan', hails from Shivamogga district and belongs to Valmiki Nayaka community, the largest tribes in the ST category, in the state.

The 49-year-old actor, who has acted in movies in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, in addition to Kannada, said he would campaign for ''some of the people he (Bommai) wants him to support''. He said: ''I will go by what he (Bommai) wants, his requirements. I am not entering politics.'' Bommai, who was sitting next to him at the press conference, said he had told Sudeep that even though he is not joining the BJP, his campaigning is ''necessary''.