Hindu activists block plan for Charlie Chaplin statue in India

Hindu activists in India have blocked an attempt to put up a statue of Charlie Chaplin for use in a movie, claiming a monument to a non-Hindu close to their temple is offensive, a film-maker has said.

Hemant Hegde, a film-maker who was building the 67ft (20-metre) statue of the Hollywood legend to use as a backdrop to a dance routine in his new film, said he had been forced to stop work by a band of Hindu activists.


Photo from here.

"I'm really surprised that people would associate Charlie Chaplin with being a Christian and not allowing the statue," he said.

Chaplin, who was baptised into the Church of England, was an avowed agnostic.



A local politician from the main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party said there was no place for Charlie Chaplin in his area.

"If the locals are against such a statue, I am also against it," he said. "Why should one bother so much about Charlie Chaplin, who was not even an Indian?"