ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ, ಮೇ 11, 2012

An open letter to Aamir Khan about the undemocratic ban on dubbing Satya Meva Jayate programme to Kannada

To,
Aamir Khan
5 Marina Apartments
Pali hill, Bandra West
Mumbai 400050

Dear Aamir Khan,

Congratulations on your successful TV debut with Satya Meva Jayate and a huge round of applause for touching a topic as sensitive and heart rendering as female foeticide in the very first episode of your show. You even went a step further by meeting the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and requesting him for a fast track court to bring the killer doctors to justice at the earliest. To me, you seem to be a man committed to bring social change in India and I truly appreciate your efforts. You may have 12 different issues to highlight in the weeks to come, but today I am writing this letter to you to highlight the highly undemocratic ban on dubbing content to Kannada that is affecting millions of Kannadigas living in Karnataka and elsewhere.
Let me explain this. As you know, there is an unconstitutional and undemocratic ban imposed on dubbing content to Kannada by a few trade organisations in the name of protecting culture. Due to this ban, the dubbed version of the first episode of your programme was not telecast on Suvarna TV. Earlier, thousands of people like me wrote to you on Twitter and Facebook requesting you to get this ban on dubbing your Satya Mev Jayate to Kannada removed. As a result of that, you wrote a letter to Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) requesting them to let your programme in Kannada on Suvarna TV but we have not heard about the response of KFCC to your letter. Suvarna TV uploaded the Kannada webcast of the first episode of your programme on Youtube three days ago. The video received 30,000 views in just 3 days busting all myths around lack of demand for dubbed content in Kannada and even sealing the mouth of all those naysayers in Kannada film / TV industry who ridiculed demand for dubbed content in Kannada as fringe. 
But yesterday, even this video on Youtube was taken off by Suvarna TV. From the circumstances, Kannadigas feel that this might have been done because of the pressure put by the same anti dubbing associations, who were scared after seeing the popularity of the video. With that, even Internet is under seige in Karnataka, where a few private people decide what people should watch and in which language. A lot of people who believe in democracy, constitution and freedom to choose are again writing to you to know how on earth a content creating social awareness be banned even on Internet just because it was dubbed from Hindi to Kannada?

Aamir, if you truly believe in transforming a society, bringing a social change, it's time for you to talk and act. Please raise your voice supporting the legitimate demand of Kannadigas demanding knowledge and entertainment in their mother tongue. Please stand  up and say that in this free country, every individual has freedom to watch any cinema, any TV program in any language of their choice and no vested interest should dictate terms to voiceless citizens in the name of guarding culture. For four decades Kannadigas have been deprived of knowledge and entertainment in their language of choice due to this illegal ban on dubbing and now will Satya Meva Jayate change that? After all, truth alone should prevail.
Thank you.
A Kannadiga

12 ಕಾಮೆಂಟ್‌ಗಳು:

  1. Vasant,
    You have indeed touched a very important topic. There are people in many households across our state just like mine who would understand programmes like SMJ better if it was available to them in Kannada. It is a shame that because of the capitalistic attitude of a certain elements, the common man is not able to get his basic right. It is time we did something about this. If we dont, who would?
    Ambika

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
  2. Very nice issue. I hope you are able to bring about this change in the narrow-minded approach being adopted by KFCC (Is it KFCC that has banned the dubbing?)

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
  3. ವಿನಾಯಕ ಮುತಾಲಿಕದೇಸಾಯಿಮೇ 11, 2012 ರಂದು 04:33 ಅಪರಾಹ್ನ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ

    ಡಬ್ಬಿಂಗ ವಿರೋಧಿಗಳು ಈ ಥರ ರಿಯಲ್ ಶೋ (not reality show) ಮಾಡೋದು ಇಲ್ಲ, ಬೇರೆಯವರು ಮಾಡಿ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಡಬ್ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ನೋಡೋಕು ಬಿದೋದಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದರಿಂದ ತುಂಬಾ ಜನ ಈ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವನ್ನು ಹಿಂದಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡೋ ಥರ ಮಾಡ್ತಿದಾರೆ. ಇದರ ಕನ್ನಡ ಡಬ್ ಬೇಕೇ ಬೇಕು.

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
  4. ಮಿ. ವಸಂತ್,
    " there is an unconstitutional and undemocratic ban imposed on dubbing content to Kannada by a few trade organisations in the name of protecting culture."
    ನೀವು ಹೀಗಂದಿದ್ದೀರ. ಕೆಲವು ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು:
    ೧. unconstitutional - ಹೇಗೆ? constitutionನ ಯಾವ ಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೀರಿ?
    ೨. undemocratic - ಹೇಗೆ? democracyಯ ಯಾವ ಅಂಶ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೀವು ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೀರಿ? ಇದುವರೆಗೂ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ democracy ಈಗ ಹೇಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲವಾಗಿದೆ!
    ೩. "ban imposed" - ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾವ ಆಧಾರವಿದೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬಳಿ? ಸತ್ಯ ಮೇವ ಜಯತೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸಾರವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದ ಮಾತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಅದು ban ಆಗಿದೆ ಎಂದು ನೀವು ಭಾವಿಸಿಬಿಟ್ಟಿರ? ಅದನ್ನು ಪ್ರಸಾರ ಮಾಡುವ ಚಾನೆಲ್, ban ಅದ್ದರಿಂದ ಪ್ರಸಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆಯೆ?
    ತಾಳ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ ಉತ್ತರಿಸುವರಿಂದು ನಂಬಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
    ~Sam

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಗಳು
    1. Hello,
      Dubbed program prasara madabedi endu tv channel office kallu toorodu, unconstitutional/undemocratic/ban imposed antha artha alva guru.

      ಅಳಿಸಿ
    2. ಅಲ್ಲ! ಅದು ಮೂರರ ಅರ್ಥವೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಬಡಬಡಿಸಬೇಡಿ.
      ಲೇಖಕರು ಇದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಬಲವಾದ ಕಾರಣ ಕೊಡಬಹುದು ಎಂದು ಕಾದಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
      ~Sam

      ಅಳಿಸಿ
    3. Sam,

      ಯಾವುದು ಸಂವಿಧಾನದ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾನೂನಿನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಕಾನೂನು ಬಾಹಿರ ಅಲ್ಲವೋ ಅದನ್ನು ತಡೆಯುವುದು unconstitutional as well as undemocratic ಎಂದೇ ಕರೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು.

      ಬ್ಯಾನ್ ಇರದಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಕಾಫಿ ಶಾಪ್ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಲು ಬಿಡಲಿಲ್ಲ? ಬ್ಯಾನ್ ಇರದಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಜೇ ಕನ್ನಡ ವಾಹಿನಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ದಾಳಿ ಮಾಡಲಾಯ್ತು?
      http://www.deccanherald.com/content/184075/zee-kannada-office-ransacked.html

      ಅಳಿಸಿ
  5. ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಂದ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗಾಗಿ ಇದೊಂದು ಅಸಂವಿಧಾನಿಕ, ಅಸಮಾಧಾನಕರ ವಿಷಯ. ಏಳಿ, ಎದ್ದೇಳಿ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ್ಮ ಸಿದ್ಧ ಹಕ್ಕನ್ನು ಕೇಳಲು ಮುಂದಾಗಿ. ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡಿನ ಗಂಡು ಮಕ್ಕಳೇ, ಎಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಿರಿ ???

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
  6. ವಸಂತ್ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷಾಭಿಮಾನಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಬೆಂಬಲ ಇದೆ.
    ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನದೊಂದು ಮನವಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪತ್ರದ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಪ್ರತಿಯನ್ನು www.change.org ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬಳಸಬೇಕಿನ್ದಿರುವೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅನುಮತಿ ಇದೆಯೇ?

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ
  7. Dear Friends,

    I have been reading the views of people who are FOR and AGAINST dubbing. I am for Dubbing. But I feel, we need not have to JUMP from "NO DUBBING" to "ALLOW DUBBING", in one STAGE. We can follow the steps outlined below so that we can attend the views of people who are AGAINST dubbing.

    1) Create "Dubbing Approval Committee" on lines of Censor Board

    2) Let us give Dubbing rights to products like:-
    a) Science Channels like Discovery
    b) Movies like Titanic, Avatar

    Basic Criteria should be something like this "if WE Kannadigas cannot have TECHNOLOGY or FUNDS to produce a PRODUCT, then dubbing of such products should be allowed". Committee can come up with such recommendations. This is just a starting point, people in the industry can come up with GUIDELINES that are more REALISTIC to follow and still attend to the issues raised by people who are for and against dubbing.

    3) Dubbing Rights should never be allowed for products like TV Serials, Movies that CAN BE REMADE IN KANNADA (which do not pose Technolgy oR funds issue). For example, A Movie like Kanchana is being re-made as Kalpana in Kannada. This is happenning as we do not have fund or technology issue here for REMAKING. So WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW DUBBING OF SUCH FILMS. WHERE AS, as we cannot REMAKE Tamil film like ROBO (reason being Funds), and hence we should Allow DUBBING. I do dream of the day, where in our Kannada Director makes movies like ROBO that gets DUBBED in Tamil, Telugu N Hindi.

    By Point No 3, we can ensure that, we have some production activities going on in Kannada medium and that too in Karnataka - (which will attend to apprehensions of people against DUBBING) thus ensuring livelihood for the people who have served here for decades. This will ensure that we do have FACILITIES, TECHNICAL PEOPLE and other aspects CONDUCIVE to Production - AVAILABLE.

    Then OUR Creative Kannada Producers/Directors, can make use of these things, without having to go to Chennai/Mumbai to make a Kannada Movie (which peolpe against DUBBING are thinking will happen).

    From time to time, we should re assess the effects and make/attend apprehensions of people who are against DUBBING.
    Regards,
    Raghavendra Bathal

    ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರಅಳಿಸಿ

ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಹೇಳಿ ಕಮೆಂಟ್ ಬರೆದ್ರೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪರಿಚಯಾನೂ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡ ಹಾಗಾಗುತ್ತೆ.. ಏನಂತೀರಾ !