‘Bhoota Kola not part of Hindu culture’: Actor-activist Chetan Kumar rakes up row over Kantara director’s remark

“Glad our Kannada film ‘Kantara’ is making national waves. Director Rishabh Shetty claims Bhoota Kola is ‘Hindu culture’. False. Our Pambada/Nalike/Parawa’s Bahujan traditions predate Vedic-Brahminical Hinduism. We ask that Moolnivasi cultures be shown w/truth on & off screen,” Kumar said on Twitter.

Even as his statement stirred up a controversy, Kumar on Wednesday held a press meeting and said that it was wrong to state that ‘Bhoota Kola’ was a part of Hindu religion as it was practised by Adivasis and there was no ‘Brahminism’ in ‘Bhoota Kola’.

The worship of forests and the environment has been practised by Adivasis even before Hindu religion came into existence in India, Kumar said. Like how we cannot accept Hindi imposition, we cannot accept Hindutva imposition, he added.

“Karnataka land has its own culture, tradition and history even before Hindu religion began. Bhoota Kola and other practices are part of Adivasi culture and have been existing for thousands of years,” Kumar said.

Soon after his press meeting, Kumar was criticised for his views. Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik said that Kantara represents Hindu culture and tradition. “Chetan does not know the culture and tradition of the land. He is an atheist and a Communist. He is one among those ‘intellectuals’ who criticise the culture of the land. He is trying to spoil the peace of society,” Muthalik said.

In an interview with a media house, Shetty, who was in Hyderabad, said he had “no comments”.

“I should not respond. When I was making this movie, those people who practised this culture were with me and I have been very cautious. I come from the same part and know about it. But still, I do not want to comment about it as only people who perform it have the right to speak,” Shetty said.