Actor Dhruva Sarja responded to the controversy around his movie Pogaru on Thursday and clarified that the makers never intended to hurt the feelings of any community. While speaking at an event, the actor stated that since films are made for an audience, the makers of Pogaru will be receptive to feedback from moviegoers and will do everything they can to ensure that no one's sentiments are hurt.
While talking about the scenes in question, Dhruva said that the makers initially included the scenes because he essays the role of Shiva, a demon- like character in the film. However, the 32-year-old actor clarified that the scenes will be edited out from the movie.
Dhruva had also tweeted on Wednesday mentioning that he hails from a family of Hanuman (a Hindu god) devotees and would not do anything to hurt audience sentiments. He also added that the makers will go to any lengths to ensure that the masses are happy.
Jai Hanuman pic.twitter.com/mqnrKkkjJH
— Dhruva Sarja (@DhruvaSarja) February 24, 2021
The statement from the actor comes after the makers of Kannada movie Pogaru decided to remove 14 scenes from the movie after members from the Brahmin community raised objections to certain scenes and alleged that the scenes hurt the sentiments of the community.
The scenes included one where the protagonist of the movie is seen attacking a priest while he performs a Hindu ritual (Havan). The makers and members of Pogaru met with the Karnataka Brahmin Development Board and Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday in Bengaluru.
The director of the movie, Nanda Kishore, apologized to the community and said that the scene was not intentional. “We did not intend to hurt anyone. All the controversial scenes in the movie will be removed and the viewers won’t know the difference,” he said, adding that the film is like a child to him and has guaranteed that the edits won’t affect the storyline.
Nanda Kishore also said it would take at least two weeks for them to remove the scenes due to logistical reasons.