Hindu Activists Declare War on Charlie Chaplin

I guess they're not big fans of slapstick.

Hindu activists have stymied an effort to put up a statue of Charlie Chaplin for use in a movie, claiming a monument to a non-Hindu close to their temple was offensive, the filmmaker said Sunday.

Hemant Hegde, a filmmaker who was building the 67-foot (20-meter) statue of the legendary Hollywood comic to use as a backdrop to a dance routine in his new film, told the CNN-IBN news channel he was forced to halt work by a band of Hindu activists.

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

Chaplin, who was baptized into the Church of England, was a self-avowed agnostic.

Hard-line Hindus have routinely protested against the perceived invasion of Western culture into India, recently targeting Valentine's Day celebrations, couples caught in public displays of affection and women drinking in bars.

Here's a video report: