The first big challenge for Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will not be to handle dissidence from MLAs who missed out on Cabinet berths. It will have to do his management of the controversy surrounding matinee idol Rajinikanth’s new movie, Kaala , which is scheduled to hit the screens on Thursday.

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday instructed the State government to provide security to cinema halls where the movie will be released. The Supreme Court has also refused to stay the film’s release.

But Kumaraswamy has appealed to film distributors not to release the movie in the State as he feared violence could erupt across Karnataka. While it is the duty of the government to respect the High Court’s orders, he felt the time was not right to release the movie.

The decision to ban the film was taken by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, after several local organisations demanded that it should not be released after Rajinikanth’s statement last month that Karnataka should obey the orders of the Supreme Court and release at least 2 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Immediately after Kumaraswamy’s statement, Rajinikanth tweeted…“To our Kannada brothers, I appeal to you, I have done no wrong. So far those who want to watch the film, please do not disrupt it (sic).” Also, tweeting in Kannada, the mega star said he realised Kumaraswamy’s predicament, but banning the movie in Karnataka, when it is being released worldwide on Thursday, would only serve to draw attention to the Cauvery water dispute.

He also said the film chambers in Karnataka should ensure that the distributors are allowed to release the movie. Sources in the chamber of commerce, however, said there is little chance of the movie being released on Thursday. Online ticket-seller bookmyshow has also not listed the movie at the time of going to press.

On an earlier occasion, actor Sathyaraj was forced to apologise for his statement on the Cauvery water-sharing issue after Kannada groups threatened to block the release of the film, Baahubali: The Conclusion .

Rajinikanth commands a huge following in Karnataka as he hails from Bengaluru. After starting out as a bus conductor in the city, he went on to act in Tamil and Kannada movies.

In an unusual move, Rajinikanth is promoting the movie with roadshows in Hyderabad and other cities. The movie is produced by his son-in-law, actor Dhanush, and directed by Pa Ranjith.

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