Radical Hindu’s have opposed the erection of a statue of comedy actor Charlie Chaplin in the Udupi district of India on the grounds that he was a Christian.

The statue is to be built for the filming a movie called “House Full”. The foundation stone for the 67-foot statue has already been laid in the presence of the film director Hemanth Hegade.

Hegade said, “The very next day [after laying the stone], a group of youth had opposed the construction of the statue citing silly reasons. We held talks with the local gram panchayat leaders and other social leaders and decided to continue the construction work,’’ reports Expressbuzz

He said around 10 to 20 activists of the Hindu Jagarna Vedike came in three vehicles and stopped the construction.

"They said Charlie Chaplin was a Christian and said they would allow construction of the statue on condition that it would be demolished after the shooting. When art director Mundadi said Charlie Chaplin was a great artiste, they said they suspected that we would also build a statue of Jesus Christ," said Hegade.

“They also said they could not go to the nearby Someshwara Temple seeing the face of a Christian. What has happened to Udupi district? Is it Taliban land?"

Chethan Mundadi , the film’s art director said, “We had dug a eight by eight feet pit. They threw the construction materials and forced our workers to fill up the pit."

Hegade said that they were now considering moving out of the area and finding a different place to build the statue and said that he was planning on organising a protest as a result of the opposition.

Charlie Chaplin was an academy award winning film actor and director. He lived from 1889 to 1977 and is remembered for comedy films such as “Modern Times” and “The Great Dictator”. Although Chaplin was formally baptised into the Church of England, some claimed he was Jewish or of Jewish ancestry.