Bangalore: Representatives of the Kannada film industry, led by thespian Rajkumar, will stage a dharna in Bangalore on Thursday (Nov 25, 2004), seeking strict implementation of an unofficial three-week ban on release of new non-Kannada movies in the State, industry officials said today (Nov 21, 2004).

Rajkumar will lead the film industry in staging the dharna in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the State secretariat, urging the Government to direct exhibitors in the city that have defied the moratorium by releasing Hindi movie 'Veer Zaara', to stop screening the movie, Kannada Film Producer's Association Basant Kumar Patil told reporters in Bangalore.

The decision to hold the protest was taken in an emergency meet by the film industry representatives after several theatres defied the unofficial ban to screen Veer Zaara, soon after the nation-wide release on November 15.

Patil said if the Government fails to direct the theatres to accept the moratorium, the industry members would call for a total industry bandh from this month end.

A final decision would be taken at a meeting to be convened in Bangalore tomorrow, he said.

Today's meet was attended by Parvathamma Rajkumar, wife of the Kannada film icon Rajkumar, actor Vishnuvardhan, director Rajendra Singh Babu and actor-producer Ravichandran among others.

Six theatres screening Veer Zaara under police protection have said that they would continue screening the movie. They also plan to release 'Hul Chul' and 'Manmathan', a two-week-old Tamil movie, on Friday.