#MeToo row turns uglier

Prominent film personalities on Monday lambasted Kannada actor Chethan and accused him “defaming” actor Arjun Sarja. Chethan had come out in support of actor Sruthi Hariharan, who has accused Sarja of misbehaviour.

Producer-turned-distributor Prashanth Samabaragi and close friend of Sarja accused Chethan of being an opportunist. He said Chethan was trying to take revenge on Sarja who dropped him from the bilingual movie Premabaraha.

Samabaragi told reporters: “Earlier, Chethan was offered the lead role in the movie, but it was not finalised. Citing financial issues, Chethan demanded some money from Arjun as an advance.”

“He paid him Rs 10 lakh. After the workshop, Chethan was dropped as there were some modifications in the hairstyle and actor Chandan was selected for the lead role. Following this incident, Chethan was disappointed and pleaded against being dropped. Now, he is taking revenge by supporting Sruthi Hariharan.”

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Former KFCC president Sa Ra Govindu also came down heavily on Chethan for questioning his contribution to the film industry. “I have never spoken anything negative about that person. He is questioning my contribution to the Kannada film industry. Industry people know my contribution. He pokes his nose into everyone’s business. He has some association and group, let him work within its limits, I am not stopping him,” he added.

DH could not reach Chethan for a response despite repeated attempts. His phone was busy while there was no reply to text messages.

Meanwhile, Sarja’s fans demanded that KFCC ban Sruthi and Chethan. Hundreds of fans protested against the duo, accusing them of defaming their favourite actor.

“We demand that KFCC ban Sruthi and Chethan for making baseless allegations against Arjun. If the incident had really happened, she should have spoken out on the same day. They wouldn’t have spared even our matinee idol Dr Rajkumar had he been alive,” Rakesh, president, Action King Arjun Sarja Fans Association told DH.

Meanwhile, Sarja’s father-in-law actor and actor Rajesh filed a formal complaint with KFCC on Monday and sought its cooperation in the row. “I respect KFCC as a court. Hence, I request them to grant us justice and save my son-in-law from this trauma. This is a pre-planned move to tarnish Arjun’s image,” Rajesh said after submitting the complaint to KFCC