Chetan Kumar Criticises Karnataka Government For Using Public Funds For Memorial Of Film Stars

Chetan Kumar has been in the news more recently for his controversial statements than for his films. Chetan Kumar's latest statement is in opposition to the government's use of public funds to construct memorials to film stars. Karnataka government has created memorials for legendary actors such as Dr. Rajkumar, and Ambareesh. And, most recently, Dr. Vishnuvardhan was also celebrated with a memorial. His contribution to the growth of Kannada cinema has been immense and remembered for years.

Chetan Kumar, an actor, took to Twitter to criticize the Karnataka government for using public funds to build memorials for film stars. He wrote,

Land, money & resources of KA public must not be used for film star memorials

Film stars—who work/earn like so many Kannadigas—already get undue hype in society & undue credit for success of films

Museums showcasing KA art/literature/culture wud be better use of #memorial lands

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) January 30, 2023

After a 13-year period, the Karnataka Government recently inaugurated Dr. Vishnuvardhan's memorial. with CM Basavaraj Bommai as the chief guest. Now, actor Chetan Kumar's statement on his Twitter account has received a mixed response. Some netizens agree that public money should not be used for film stars' memorials. But movie buffs and fans of Dr. Rajkumar, Ambareesh, and Dr. Vishnuvardhan have retweeted Chetan Kumar. They are asking why he didn't have the guts to say this when the memorial for Dr. Rajkumar and Ambareesh was completed. They are asking why he waited till the memorial for Dr. Vishnuvardhan to come up to air his views. Enraged fans are also asking Chetan Kumar what is wrong with celebrating the heroes of the industry. The heroes have contributed to Kannada cinema's growth over the years. Netizens also pointed out to Chetan that he is well-known today as an actor. They also questioned his hypocrisy in criticizing his own film industry.