Kannada actor by accident, activist by choice, Chetan to remain in jail on 39th birthday

On Tuesday police registered a suo motu case and arrested him under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 505 (2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace), six days after he, in a tweet, referred to the comments the judge had made during a rape trial.

On Saturday he participated in a huge march organised by Dalit organisations demanding the suspension of then sessions judge Mallikarjuna Gowda, who had allegedly objected to placing B R Ambedkar’s portrait next to that of Mahatma Gandhi at a court function on Republic Day in Raichur. Gowda was later transferred to the Karnataka State Transport Appellate Tribunal.

Born and raised in the United States, Chetan is a familiar face in movements for the welfare of farmers, workers, Dalits and adivasis. A staunch socialist, Chetan has been anti-establishment and pro-Kannada. He was associated with movements for the rehabilitation of endosulfan victims (2013), securing homes for tribals evicted from Kodagu (2016) and, more recently, for a separate religion status for Lingayats.

He was also involved with Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE), an organisation formed to address the issues of women, writers and workers in the Kannada film industry.

Chetan tied knot with his long-time friend Megha S in 2020 at an orphanage, where a transgender activist presided over the exchange of wedding vows and copies of the Indian constitution were distributed as gifts among the guests. His marriage was non-religious and “socially conscious”.

Chetan earned the wrath of actor Arjun Sarja’s fans and others by supporting Sruthi Hariharan, who alleged she had been sexually harassed by the actor during the shooting of the movie Vismaya.

Vocal on many issues of public concern, Chetan doesn’t balk at voicing unpopular opinions and has been active in movements against corruption, communal politics and fascism.

Chetan’s debut movie, Aa Dinagalu (2007), was a sensational hit that revolved around Bengaluru’s underworld during the 1980s. The film’s director, KM Chaitanya, says that Chetan is an activist first.

“He grew up in a family which is involved in social causes. His brother had contested elections for the Green Party in the United States. You can call it accidental or incidental. Chetan was in India for research work as a Fulbright scholar and worked in conjunction with the

National School of Drama, Bengaluru. That was when we came across Chetan and decided to cast him in the movie. Had he not entered the sandalwood industry, I think he would either be an activist or a researcher as he does both with a lot of passion,” Chaitanya told The Indian Express.

Speaking about his arrest, Chaitanya said, “Chetan should be given a fair chance to defend himself legally… Unfortunately, we see a lot of vendetta arrests. It (vendetta) might or might not be the case, but Chetan should be given an opportunity.”