Chetan Kumar is an American-Indian film actor, public intellectual, humanitarian, and social and political activist. She is best known for starring in the Kannada language films Aa Dinagalu (2007), Myna (2013), and Noorondu Nenapu (2017).
Wiki/Biography
Chetan Kumar Ahimsa was born on Thursday, February 24, 1983 (age 40 years; in 2023), in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He continued his elementary education at Marist High School in Chicago.
A childhood photo of Chetan Kumar and his younger brother, Ashok Kumar, wearing the jerseys of Chicago’s two professional baseball teams—the White Sox and the Cubs, in their backyard in Chicago
Chetan spends his summer holidays in Karnataka every year. It was his parents who ensured that despite living in Chicago he remained connected to his roots and fluent in Kannada. While talking about his visit to India, in an interview, he said,
While in Karnataka, I traveled to historic areas, engaged with locals, spent time in villages, attended plays and performances, ate mangoes and kulfi, interacted with poor children…”
Growing up, he loved listening to the Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’ told to him by his grandparents. In fact, the actor also portrayed his favorite character, Bheema, in the drama Mahabharata during his childhood.
Childhood photos of Chetan Kumar as Bheema, with his brother, Ashok Kumar as Krishna in the drama
During her high school days, she was active in swimming and tennis. He was also the lead saxophonist in his high school band. After that, he enrolled himself in Yale University, USA, studying South Asian Studies with Emphasis on Comparative Theater Studies. He graduated from the university in 2005 with distinction. In 2005, Kumar returned to Karnataka, after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship for 12 months (2005-2006) after his graduation from Yale University and working with the National School of Drama, Bangalore. As a Fulbright scholar, Chetan traveled extensively throughout Karnataka accompanying various drama groups.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7”
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His parents, who work and live in the US, are from Karnataka, India. His father, Drs. Basavlinga Amarkumar, a surgeon, moved to Chicago at age 24 to pursue his surgical residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. His mother, Mangala Kumar, is an anesthesiologist.
Chetan Kumar with his parents
Chetan’s younger brother, Ashok Kumar, is a UW Madison graduate, Oxford University PhD, and Fulbright Scholar, who works as an economics teacher at Birkbeck, University of London, UK.
Chetan Kumar with brother, Ashok Kumar
His grandfather took an active part in the anti-colonial movement and was also imprisoned in his youth for India’s independence struggle.
Childhood photos of Chetan Kumar and Ashok Kumar with their grandparents
Wife & Children
On 2 February 2020, Chetan Kumar got married to his long-time girlfriend Megha S, an activist and engineer from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, in a lower court wedding ceremony in Bengaluru. Later, Megha continued her legal studies in human rights.
Chetan Kumar and Megha at the sub-registrar’s office for their marriage through the Special Marriage Act
In front of underprivileged children and senior citizens, they organized a small celebration at the Vinoba Bhave Ashram in Bengaluru, which the couple had renovated collaboratively instead of spending their money on a big, fat, lavish wedding. Additionally, the activist couple took an oath led by Indian transgender activist Akkai Padmashali.
Chetan Kumar and Megha at Bengaluru’s Vinoba Bhave Ashram took the oath led by Indian transgender activist Akkai Padmashali
The guests were treated to tribal performances like Budakattu-Adivasi dance, vachana, and Sufi music, at the wedding.
Relationships/Affairs
In 2015, Chetan Kumar and Megha S met at a social gathering in Bengaluru, where some mutual friends introduced them. It is the passion for social work, which brings actors and engineers together. Megha is associated with the social work wing of her company and has worked towards the education of underprivileged children, raised funds for flood relief victims, and spearheaded environment-conscious initiatives. In an interview, when talking about the beginning of his relationship with Mega, he said,
Our friendship began to grow stronger because of our shared priorities and overlapping dreams of a just and ideal world.”
religious views
Chetan Kumar and Megha S had a court wedding as neither believed in religious ceremonies.
Caste
He advocated Egalitarianism, a philosophy that upholds equal rights and opportunities for all people despite their caste and creed. A staunch Ambedkarite, Chetan, who took part in a massive protest led by Karnataka’s united Dalit-Bahujan team titled ‘Vidhana Soudha-High Court Chalo,’ expressed his belief in a tweet, which read,
We are neither Hindus nor Mussalmans; we are egalitarian. We are neither BJP nor Congress; we are an alternative force. There is a huge ongoing controversy. We are neither kesari shawls nor hijabs; we are blue scarf. Transformation is the alternative.”
Career
Chetan Kumar made his film debut with the 2007 Indian Kannada language crime drama ‘Aa Dinagalu’ in which he played the lead role of Chethan Naayak. Set in the underworld of 1980s Bangalore, the film tells the story of businessman Chetan who fights to save his love, Mallika, from her scheming father. For the film, Kumar received the Udaya TV Best Debut Actor Award. His second film Birugaali (2009) was not a commercial hit, which received rave reviews from critics for his performance. In the 2013 Indian Kannada language romantic drama film ‘Myna,’ Chetan Kumar plays the protagonist, Satya, who, after being arrested for 34 serial murders, shares his life story with the police. Based on a true incident, the film received a lot of praise and great appreciation from the audience. He played the lead role of Shreyas Bahadur in the 2017 Indian Kannada college film ‘Noorondu Nenapu.’ Set in 1980, the film tells the story of Shreyas, a freshman in college, who befriends the most popular clique in college.
Noorondu Nenapu (2017)
In 2017, he appeared in the Indian Kannada action thriller film ‘Athiratha’ where he played the role of a news reporter named Akash, who invests in ministerial scandals and uses the media to bring social impact. Her other films include Suryakaanti (2010), Dashamukha (2012), and Ranam (2021).
Controversy
Criticized for hurting Brahmin sentiments
In 2021, the Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board filed complaints at two police stations in Bengaluru against Chetan Kumar alleging that the actor had hurt religious beliefs and imputed harm to national integration, citing his tweets about Brahminism as insulting.
Chetan Kumar’s 2021 tweet about Brahminism where he espouses his Ambedkarite beliefs
Arrested for tweeting against Justice Krishna Dixit
On 16 February 2022, she was arrested for allegedly disparaging Karnataka High Court judge Justice Krishna Dixit, who was part of a panel hearing a group of petitions for the Karnataka Hijab 2022 dispute. In January 2022, a dispute erupted in Karnataka after several Muslim students, who demanded to be allowed to wear Hijab in classrooms at a junior college, were refused entry to class. MN Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), revealed that the actor was charged under sections 505 (2) (statement leading to public mischief) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC. While reposting his 2020 tweet, which read,
This week KA (Karnataka) High Court Judge Krishna Dixit granted pre-arrest bail to accused rapist Rakesh B claiming ‘it is not right for Indian women to sleep after being raped; that’s not how women react when they’re infatuated.’ What is ‘inappropriate’ is the 21st (century) misogyny against this Dixit fossil of the judiciary.”
He added,
This is a tweet I wrote almost two years ago regarding the Karnataka High Court decision. Justice Krishna Dixit made disturbing comments in the rape case. Now the same judge is deciding whether #hijab is acceptable or not in government schools. Does he have the necessary clarity?”
Picture showing Chetan Kumar’s tweet against Justice Krishna Dixit
FIR for his statement about Kantara
An FIR was filed against him by the Karnataka Police in October 2022 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments while commenting on a Kannada film depicting the Bhoota Kola tradition by Kantara. He claims that ‘Bhoota Kola’ is not Hindu in his comment.
Tweet “Hindutva is built on lies”.
On 21 March 2023, he was arrested by the Bengaluru police after a complaint was lodged against him over his tweet saying that ‘Hindutva is built on lies.’ In his tweet, he cited the examples of Savarkar, Babri mosque, and Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda to justify that ‘Hindutva is built on lies.’
Chetan Kumar’s Hindutva is built on tweeting lies
OCI Status Cancelled
As a result of his alleged ‘anti-national’ activities and comments insulting judges, the Union government revoked his Overseas Indian (OCI) status in April 2023.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
