'People have to come out and talk'

Kannada actor Chetan has become the cynosure of all eyes after he alleged that he was assaulted by a senior police officer of the Cubbon Park Police Station in the wee hours of Sunday.

He filed a complaint almost immediately at the police station where he was allegedly assaulted yet again. 

But this incident hasn’t scared Chetan. Instead, it has given him the strength and courage to fight against anything and everything that is unjust.

“It looks like the influential people can get away with anything here. I wonder what will happen to the ordinary people who have nowhere to go? How long will they keep quiet and bear it all? People have to come out and talk. I hope this incident is an eye-opener to many just as it was for me,” explains Chetan. 

He confesses that he shudders to think about what happened that night. “I got beaten up and knocked on the head so many times for no fault of mine. Neither had I parked in the wrong space nor was I drunk. Then what was my offence?” he wonders.

What also intrigues Chetan is the cover-up the police tried to do after the incident. “If people keep quiet then the police ‘gundagiri’ will go on. That has to stop,” he urges.

Chetan also points out that the cop, who allegedly beat him up, has a history of perpetrating such violence against people. “He has a pattern of similar violent incidents to his name. People like him must be brought in the open,” he says. 

Chetan also feels such incidents occur because good people choose to keep quiet. “I hope this incident empowers more people to talk about the problems that they face with the police,” he adds.

After ‘Aa Dinagalu’, ‘Birugaali’ and ‘Suryakaanti’, actor Chetan hasn’t really been lying low. He’s bang on the job. The reverses suffered at the box office haven’t left the actor sullen.

He has been busy listening to multiple scripts and also got down to scripting a film. Writing has always been therapeutic for Chetan, he continues to write pieces — from analysis to fiction — during his spare time. So would he also plunge into direction someday? 

“Direction is an imminent possibility, which I plan to consolidate in the coming months.  When it comes to pursuits, especially direction, better the preparation, better the results. In other words, once the time is right, I’ll surely actualise that dream,” he signs off.

Talking about the latest project that Chetan is scripting, he says that the film is inspired by a real-life character. “The film is set in Bengaluru and one will get to see images of old Bengaluru. That’s about how much I can reveal at the moment,” he sums up.