Just weeks before the much-awaited inauguration of late Kannada icon Rajkumar's memorial, there has been a hitch; the actor's unveiled statue — at Rajarajeshwari Nagar — was defaced and set ablaze late Wednesday night. Troubled by the incident, the area's MLA and producer, Munirathna, says, "What has happened is unfortunate and we are against it. However, we don't know who set fire to the statue yet, but we have assigned to squads to identify the miscreants. We suspect this has been done by a group of local youth and have already started our inquiry in full force. Rajkumar's statue is Karnataka's prized property and nobody should disrespect it like this. What has happened is wrong and everyone must denounce this act."
While the late actor's family might not be up in arms, they are deeply hurt and greatly condemn it. "We are against those responsible for this. It is wrong, irrespective of whose statue it is. All statues must be respected at least for the people who built it with so much love and affection," says the late thespian's son Raghavendra Rajkumar, adding, "We're not sure about the message these miscreants wanted to convey, but we suspect that since we planned a gala inauguration event on November 23, their act was probably driven by jealousy." Does this mean that the inauguration of Dr Rajkumar's memorial will be postponed? "Of course not, the inauguration will take place as planned. However, we request and hope that our government puts the miscreants behind bars as such acts must not be encouraged," says Raghavendra.
The inauguration, which will see the entire Sandalwood industry participate like one big family, might just see celebrities from across film industries. Revealing details, Raghavendra says, "We understand that the government has sent invitations to national film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Mammooty and Mohanlal among others, but we're still awaiting their responses."
