Kannada film producers withdraw ban on Nikita

Sense has finally prevailed over the Kannada film producers, who, on Thursday withdrew the unilateral ban imposed on multilingual actress Nikita Thukral for allegedly having an affair with star actor Darshan.

Following strong public censure and intense criticism by Kannada film actor fraternity, the Karnataka Film Producers’ Association, which met on Thursday, passed a resolution to withdraw the ban.

“We have realized our mistake. We should not have banned her. Nikita is free to act in any Kannada film. We respect the sentiments and views of our actors,” said Muniratnam Naidu, president, KFPA.

The KFPA imposed a ban on Nikita last Sunday after the police arrested Darshan, who brutally assaulted his wife Vijaylakshmi, who questioned his relationship with the actress. Incidentally, Vijaylakshmi, in her complaint to the police, held Nikita responsible for the frequent quarrels with Darshan.

Instead of castigating Darshan, the producers decided to teach Nikita a lesson for interfering in the actor’s life. “We want to set an example…We don’t want actresses to interfere in the life of a married actor,” Naidu had said then, a statement that attracted widespread criticism from the public, especially women’s organizations.

Nikita welcomed the withdrawal of the ban. “I have been going through the worst phase of my career and life. These people tarnished my image beyond repair. It is unfortunate that unnecessarily I have been dragged into the mess,” she said.

The film industry is desperate to get Darshan out of jail, but the court has not yet granted him bail. More than Rs 40 crore is at stake as Darshan’s 4 movies are lined up for release.