The year 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 Karnataka State Film awards slated for presentation on Sunday at 6 pm in Dr.Ambedkar Bhavan is likely to be dry and lackluster.
Learnt from reliable sources the Karnataka Chief Minister S.M.Krishna is not interested to attend the function. He showed his disrespect for the function even after the film industry and the information department put before the agenda. I will not attend was blunt reply from the Chief Minister S.M.Krishna. Added to it he is believed to have told that he will never attend in future such function.
It is the tradition to invite the CM for Film awards given by the State Government and perhaps this year it is breaking.
Now one more trouble in the wake of terrorist attack in Parliament is that the persons holding the highest offices should not attend the public function. With this the chances of Karnataka Governor V.S.Ramadevi attending the State awards is also remote. It is reliably learnt that Dr.Rajkumar is not attending the function. The winner of Dr.Rajkumar award actress Leelavathi is also not attending due to preoccupation.
In all 58 awards for two years has to be distributed on Sunday evening and ETV Namma channel has made it live from 6 to 9 pm. The two years awards preparation work is already over. For the trophy, cash prize and woolen shawl for the winners it costs the government exchequer by Rs.20 lakhs.
The local private channel beaming the program live has also offered a meager Rs.5 lakhs to the Karnataka Government. When the two years State awards was set on October 14, 2001 in the midst of 32 International Film Festival inside the Kanteerava Indoor stadium the ETV had agreed to give Rs.10.50 lakhs. During the festival time it wanted to draw further publicity for the Kannada channel. But the 32IFFI did not take place. It was later postponed to November 25 and even this was postponed further because of South Indian Film Chamber election. Now in an auditorium that has a capacity of 1350 seats the ETV changed its opinion and made the Karnataka Government to agree for Rs.5 lakhs as rights amount.
Perhaps this is the only time the Karnataka Government is holding the State awards function within the four walls in the last 10 years of State film awards history.