It feels like the old times, say exhibitors in Karnataka. Darshan’s Kaatera, directed by Tharun Sudhir, has completed 25 days in over 400 screens, and the single-screen owners of the state are a happy bunch, perhaps after a lengthy layoff.
Released on the last Friday of 2023, Kaatera started strong. A grand opening is typical of all Darshan films, but its sustained dominance at the box office has brought life to several beleaguered theatres in Karnataka. The makers recently announced that the movie has crossed the ₹200-crore mark at the box office, with one crore tickets getting sold.
“Women are watching Kaatera in good numbers, and that’s a sign of a blockbuster family entertainer,” says Gundanna, veteran film distributor from Mysuru. Visuals of people in rural towns visiting theatres in tractors and bullock carts to watch the film have thrilled Darshan’s fans, who were eagerly waiting for the star to entertain people from all age groups.
“The continuous rush for Kaatera reminds me of the dream run of films like Rajkumar’s Bangarada Manushya (1972) and Shankar Guru (1972),” adds Gundanna. S.T. Anand, owner of the iconic Prasanna theatre in Bengaluru, is also all praise for Kaatera. “The film has collected around ₹75 lakh in three weeks in our theatre.”
Prasanna is Darshan’s fortress, with Roberrt, Kurukshetra, and Bulbul enjoying 100 day runs. “After a long time, Kaatera is one film that has had the maximum number of houseful shows in the Sate in its first two weeks,” says Anand. Anupama, the film’s main theatre in Gandhi Nagar, has enjoyed record collections.
Darshan in ‘Kaatera’. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Incidentally, Darshan’s commercial success of Roberrt revived the COVID-hit industry in 2021; it was the first big-star film to open with 100% occupancy. The actor, however, had a forgettable start to 2023, with his Kranti tanking at the box office. This result was followed by a lean phase in the Kannada film industry, with no film leaving a mark in the first six months.
“The dull period spurred the closure of 25 to 30 theatres in C centres (below taluk level) of Karnataka. Among them, around 10 to 15 theatres are back operating thanks to the success of Kaatera,” says M.R. Rajaram, owner of Gayathri Talkies in Mysuru. Rajaram, also the vice-president of the Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation, says Kaatera is a film with something for everyone to enjoy.
Set in the 1970s, Kaatera shows the oppression of desperate landlords on the helpless tillers. The film deals with the land reform acts implemented by former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs and condemns caste discrimination. Darshan plays a blacksmith from the oppressed group who takes on the zamindars.
“The film has many thrilling moments for a Darshan fan, while it is content-oriented for the family crowd. Also, children have useful information to take away,” says Rajaram. Along with Gayathri Talkies in Mysuru, Woodlands Theatre witnessed 16 houseful shows of Kaatera in the first three weeks.
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Director-producer Guru Deshpande, who distributed Kaatera in the Kalyan-Karnataka region, says the film is all set to become Darshan’s most successful movie. The last time single screens enjoyed such massive footfall was during the magical run of Rishab Shetty’s Kantara (2022).
“To avoid long dull periods at theatres, stars must do at least two Kannada films every year. People, especially in C centres, watch only films in Kannada. If you don’t consistently serve them big-ticket Kannada entertainers, they will watch Kannada dubbed versions of other language movies,” says Rajaram.
