'Head Bush' courts controversy over 'insult' to folk dance of 'Veeragase'

Bengaluru: Kannada movie, Head Bush, based on the story of the Bengaluru underworld, has stoked controversy over “hurting the sentiments” of a section of the audience.

Social media has been abuzz with accusations and outrage over the use of the devotional folk dance of ‘Veeragase’. Several social media users contended that the portrayal of Veeragase in the film has insulted the folk art form and demanded the scene be dropped from the movie.

Meanwhile, lead actor Daali Dhananjaya refuted the claims in a Twitter post. “I myself am a devotee of Veerabhadraswamy and have ensured that there is no element of insult to Veeragase. I request the detractors to please watch the movie and review it thoroughly,” he wrote. Further, he shared a link to an interview detailing his “explanation”.

Head Bush is made based on author Agni Sridhar’s book “Dadagiriya Dinagalu’ (Days of Dadagiri), a story about the underworld scene of Bangalore in the 1970s and 80s.