Dubbing ban key to preserve Kannada culture: Ashok

It was not 'All is Well' for recently dubbed version of Aamir Khan Production Hindi  programme Sathyameva Jayathe which was ready for broadcast in Kannada channel until there was dubbing ban imposed by industry in Karnataka. Karnataka Film industry workers’ association president and actor Ashok discusses about dubbing ban in industry with TSI’s NK Suprabha.

Dubbing dispute has again started to haunt Kannada film industry. What is your take on this?
As the dubbing industry is a very profitable venture, people are asking to lift the ban. TV channels produce programmes in one language and start to telecast in every language by dubbing. Dubbing involves huge money and this is the reason why they are asking to lift the ban. Now people are taking the help of social media like Twitter and Facebook to vent out their anger. In Chiranjeevi movies we are importing Telugu culture, in Amitabh and Shahrukh movies we import Hindi culture. If we need to preserve our culture and practices we need to ban dubbing.

But in 1950s when dubbing was banned, Kannada film industry was actively involved in Kannada cultural activities. But do you think industry is undertaking the same role today?
No. Now Kannada movies are not up to the mark in participating cultural activities. But that is a different aspect. We can discuss the issue among ourselves. We can discuss how to produce good movies. But if you lift the ban on dubbing on the pretext of poor quality Kannada movies, the whole film industry in the state will collapse. There are 30,000 people working in this industry. They all become jobless, except voiceover artists and some technicians whom can be involved in dubbing the movies of other languages.

But some people argue that dubbed movies will pose stiff competition to Kannada films so that the quality of Kannada movies too will improve?
No, that opinion is wrong. There is no competition at all. Hindi and Tamil films budget comes around Rs 30-40 crores which sometimes go up to Rs 100-200 crores. But Kannada film industry produce Rs 3-4 crore budget movies. Our cinemas do not have great market in Karnataka. But Hindi and Tamil movies have overseas market. If you want dubbing in any case, let them release those movies dubbed in Kannada not in original language. We don’t have problem if all other language movies comes with dubbing alone. But, they want to release both original and dubbing version. That is not fair.

If we can able to see other language movies in Kannada, it is good for language development?
No way. Audience does not like to see Rajinikanth movies in Kannada. They want it in Tamil. People like to watch Shahrukh movies in Hindi. Producers want to show their respective films in their language and want to show dubbed movies to Kannada audience. From this they can get Rs 5 crores extra profit. That is the conspiracy.

Don’t you feel the ban on dubbing deprives Kannada speaking people of watching world class movies in their mother tongue?
That is not the fact. There are lots of issues related to particular language. You need to see the movies in their original languages, otherwise the flavour will differ.

Don’t you think film industry is forcefully imposing ban on Karnataka?
Only IT-BT sector people and media are saying this. Common man never ask for dubbing. People who are agitating in Twitter and Facebook never see Kannada movies. If they have real concern over problems of Karnataka, they could have started campaign on other serious issues like farmers’ suicide, water problem, drought etc. They are not talking about burning issues. Dubbing is not an important issue. Intellectuals should speak about real problems. They write in twitter, media and social websites. Instead they should come to a forum and speak to us.
 
But in today’s global village, how far you can impose ban on dubbing?
Supreme Court should decide this. It starts with question of why we formed language based states. Because of globalization we can’t leave our language and learn English alone. We need to think locally and find solution globally. We need to find solutions for downtrodden. Instead we are depriving them of work. In the name of globalization we should not seek profit alone. We need to show concern to life of poor and downtrodden.

At least do you think that movies produced in Kannada industry are good?
No. I have regrets for that. Instead of watching cheap rated movies, can’t we watch good dubbed films? Time has come. Our industry should introspect themselves and should produce good movies.

All other industries who accepted dubbing don’t face any problems. Why are you panicking?
In all other southern states people love their language and want to see the films of their language. You don’t even get a cup of water in Tamil Nadu if you did not ask it in Tamil. That is why other industries won’t find problems in dubbing cinemas. But in our state Kannada is not the language of life. Everyone comes and speaks in their language. People are conscious about language in other states but that alertness yet to see in Karnataka.