Panic was triggered at Santosh Theatre in Bangalore on Saturday morning after a Kannada actor-director reached the top of a theater to commit suicide.
Harish Raj, a Sandalwood hero and director of a Kannada movie ‘Gun', threatened to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of Santosh theatre, Majestic, after its owner decided to stop screening the movie in which he's the second lead.
What led the actor to attempt suicide?
Raj, who has acted in a few movies, along with ‘Gun’ film producer Murali met theatre authorities after coming to know that ‘Gun’ was being taken off, in favour of another big banner movie, ‘Kempegowda', which is acted and directed by Sudeep.
The duo tried to persuade theatre owner Arun Kumar to keep screening their film 'Gun'. But when he turned down their demands, an upset Raj went to the terrace of Santosh Theatre and threatened to commit suicide.
The suicide drama
The 34-year-old actor reportedly rushed to the rooftop, sat on the edge of the parapet well, brandished a knife and threatened to stab himself.
According to local tabloid reports, Raj kept screaming that he would jump off the roof if the theater would take off his movie in favor of any other.
Police intervened
As the tension mounted, police rushed to the scene and tried to dissuade the actor from taking the extreme step, but he was unbreakable. “Why should I stay alive?” the stubborn actor told the police.
A sub-inspector and a constable somehow managed to reach the rooftop and started negotiating with Raj.
After 20 minutes, constable Satish rushed towards him and dragged him away, successfully preventing the actor from stabbing himself and jumping down from atop the building.
Actor attacked police
During the scuffle, Raj allegedly attacked Satish with the knife he was wielding. The constable sustained minor injuries on his head.
After the incident, Raj told Deccan Herald, “Being emotionally blocked, I did something wrong. As a responsible citizen and being in the industry for long, I should not have done like this. I apologise for what I have done."
“Theatre owner Arun Kumar’s act is total injustice to an actor. As per the agreement, the theatre owner can take a decision after considering collection of the movie for two to three weeks. But, he decided to stop screening just two days after the movie was released,” the actor said.
Raj in legal trouble
Two cases under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of IPC following the incident have been registered by police against the actor, Upparpet police inspector Lokeshwar told Deccan Herald.
If the actor is convicted, he may have to serve a jail term. The charges against him carry a punishment of three years imprisonment or a fine or both.
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