Kannada cinema will have to engage with the world audience and think globally, Meenakshi Shedde, film critic, has said. She was here on Saturday to participate in a seminar organised by Suchitra Film Society to mark the 80 years of Kannada cinema.
Ms. Meenakshi, referring to the ban on dubbing films from other languages into Kannada, said while she respected the sentiment behind such a move, the other way to handle the issue was “to build an Infosys for Kannada cinema” to cater to the world audience. She said there should be a paradigm shift in the way film makers and industry thought about the commerce of cinema.
Ms. Meenakshi said film industries in even European countries were being “protectionist” to guard their national cinema from the onslaught of Hollywood. “Hollywood in spite of releasing their films in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu as well has failed to capture the Indian market,” she claimed. Ms. Meenakshi compared the regional Indian cinema industry with Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema, which always looked outward, collaborated with other markets and innovated themselves.
Ms. Meenakshi spoke at length on how independent films across the country were achieving both critical and commercial success through collaborations. The film Lunchbox received funding from France, Germany, the U.S. and India. “It is not that Kannada cinema cannot do this. Lucia has shown the way forward,” she said.
Meanwhile, a two-day photo and stamp exhibition on Kannada cinema was inaugurated by actor Bharathi Vishnuvardhan. The exhibition showcases stamps brought out by the Indian Postal department on cinema and the photo exhibition on Kannada cinema. She said she wanted to start an annual programme at Suchitra Film Society in memory of her husband Vishnuvardhan.
Actor S. Shivaram, who has completed 60 years in film industry, will be felicitated on Sunday.
