The Karave Yuva Sene, an offshoot of the pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), on Saturday, reiterated that it will oppose any involvement of actor Sunny Leone in the upcoming Tamil film Veeramahadevi and also protest against her performance in Bengaluru scheduled in November.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Harish, the state secretary of the Karave Yuva Sene, said, "She (Sunny Leone) should not be acting in the film Veeramahadevi at all costs. We are going to protest her presence in the film as it is against our culture. We will also protest against her wherever she comes."
Veeramahadevi directed by VC Vadivudaiyan features Sunny Leone in the lead role and is simultaneously being made in five different languages. "She is a blue film actress and if she reprises this role, it is an attack on the culture we have in south India," added Harish.
The Karave Yuva Sene is also opposed to Sunny Leone performing in Bengaluru at a private event on November 3. The actor is set to perform at the White Orchid Hotel at the Manyata Tech Park located on Outer Ring Road. This comes nine months after she was scheduled to perform at the same hotel on New Year's Day at an event – 'Sunny Night in Bengaluru NYE 2018'. However, the event was postponed and later cancelled following protests led by the Karave Yuva Sene.
The activists, who protested by sporting black ribbons and burnt posters of the actor, claimed that they would hold similar protests again but stopped short of asking for a cancellation of the event. "We are not saying that the event cannot go ahead, but we definitely don't want Sunny Leone involved in it. We cannot stop the event, but we will write to the Chief Minister and the Police Commissioner making our opinion clear on the issue," added Harish.
In December 2017, the event in which Sunny Leone was set to perform in was eventually cancelled after police confirmed that they could not spare forces to provide security on New Year's Eve.
The Karave Yuva Sene was formed in December 2017 and rose to prominence following its protest against the actor. However, the Rakshana Vedike, which has been involved in several movements in the past, has refused to lend its support for the protests against Sunny Leone. "We are aware of the Yuva Sene's stance, but we are still discussing the issue. Sunny Leone is free to come and perform, and we are only asking that Kannada songs be played at the event and Kannada be popularised," said Praveen Shetty of the KRV.
The performance by Sunny Leone is scheduled two days after Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations in the state and this appears to have irked the pro-Kannada activists.