Karnataka CM-son’s conversation features in Yakshagana, artiste feels the heat

MANGALURU: ‘Magane, Yelliddiya? Naanu Ille Iddeeni Appa’, (son, where are you? I’m here dad), a video grab of a conversation between chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Gowda will easily go down as one of the most trolled videos on social media this year.


Even as memes based on this chat between the father-son have flooded the virtual space, a

Yakshagana

artiste, who quoted these words to take the humour quotient of a 'prasanga' (act) a notch higher, saw himself being caught in the midst of a controversy as a police complaint was filed against him.

The play is said to be staged in Bailoor and the complainant took offence after watching it on the internet.

According to people in the knowhow of things, the artiste is a renowned comedian in a highly popular Tulu television show and belongs to a team that has won the said show for several consecutive seasons. He featured in the Yakshagana play as a guest artiste.

Ironically, the case against this artiste was filed by Ravi Shetty, state working president of Karnataka Karmikara Vedike, who has previously worked for the welfare of Yakshagana artistes as he was hurt for “insulting art, artistes and Yakshagana fans”.

Interestingly, Shetty is a JD(S) leader and was the party candidate for the Assembly election in Byndoor. He, however, told TOI that he did not file a case against the artiste for mocking the chief minister and his son but because the artiste “spoiled the sanctity of the sacred Yakshagana by using certain unparliamentary dialogues”.

“Yakshagana is not only an art form. We consider it sacred and it forms a part of our religious discourses. However, certain dialogues used in the play were in bad taste and I took umbrage to the unparliamentary words used,” Shetty said.
Case withdrawnUnder fire, the artiste called up Shetty to plead guilty and convince him that all citations in the play were only for entertainment purpose and not meant to hurt anybody’s sentiments. “As he is a poor artiste, I have decided to withdraw the case,” Shetty said.