At the recent Hampi Utsava, actor Ramya, responding to a question about Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s remarks on lack of support from actors for Mekedatu Padayatra, said, “DKS is not entirely wrong. As actors, we always have a responsibility. Look at what Dr Rajkumar did for our Kannada language. The cooperation and support that once existed between cinema and politics are missing today.
The patronage is currently lacking. As actors, we have a duty and it is our responsibility to stand up for our language, land, culture, and water.” Shivakumar had made the remarks at the opening of the city’s film festival, where he also slammed Kannada actors over their low turnout. Speaking to us, the actor said, “As actors, we have considerable impact on the public. It is imperative we lend our voice to causes we believe in, irrespective of the side one may lean towards. But, it is the artiste’s prerogative whether or not they want to lend their name to a cause. But they should not be threatened or bullied to do so.”
'Actors get trolled no matter what stance they take'Ramya said, “Most of the actors in the industry, irrespective of political ideologies, are very vocal in person about our opinions on various topics. But when they do so on a public platform, they are subjected to incessant trolling, and this affects their work - film as well as endorsements.” “Actors get trolled on social media irrespective of the stance they take. Actors, especially female actors, have become soft targets for politicians. Take Deepika Padukone’s case, for instance, and how her appearance at JNU affected her film. The same thing happened to actor Aamir Khan as well. Ravi Ganiga recently said Rashmika Mandanna should be ‘taught a lesson for forgetting her roots’. Issuing threats and bullying people is never right, and politicians should refrain from doing so. And this is precisely why the actors don’t speak up,” added the actor
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