'Pogaru' faces ire from Brahmin community

'Pogaru', the first big-scale Kannada film in the Covid-era, continues to invite controversy ever since its chartbuster song 'Karabuu' song was slammed for glorifying harassment of women last April. The latest problem to hit the Dhruva Sarja-starrer is the anger of the Brahmin community over many scenes in the film.

Released on February 19, 'Pogaru' is an action drama showcasing the life of an aimless young man, who goes to any length to make money. 'Pogaru', like all 'masala' films, ends with the hero's transformation. The film faced criticism from netizens and critics for its unabashed upholding of toxic masculinity.

Recently, Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board criticised the 'demeaning of priests' in the film. "To insult any community or religion in a film isn't correct. 'Pogaru' blatantly shows Brahmin community in a poor light. We demand an apology from the film's team and removal of all the scenes that are objectionable," said Board president HS Sachidananda Murthy.

What do the scenes show?

One of the scenes that have drawn flak from Brahmins involves the antagonist placing his leg on a Brahmin priest's shoulder and threatening him. People have shown displeasure towards scenes which show the hero mocking the community's beliefs and disrupting one of its religious programme.

Director apologies

The film's director Nanda Kishore apologied to people saying 'it's a fictitious character and he didn't have intentions of hurting the sentiments of people from any community'. "This is a work of fiction and if we have hurt people without our knowledge, then I would like to apologise on behalf of my entire team," he said in a video on social media.

Protest

The Board said it would lodge a complaint to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Tuesday and protest against the film on Wednesday if the scenes aren't removed from the film.

Nanda Kishore promised to oblige but said it would take at least two weeks to remove the scenes due to logistical reasons.