Half of 2015 has sped by in a flash and Kannada film fans are still awaiting that ever elusive blockbuster. It’s not even a drizzle but a drought of anything worthwhile, content wise. Around 50-odd films have been released and it’s evident that the creative constipation amongst Kannada directors is acute. If there was a semblance of sensibility it was in Giriraj’s thought provoking ‘Mythri’ starring Mohanlal and Puneet and it rightfully enjoyed a decent run. I’ve not watched most of the films simply because there was nothing enticing enough. In fact, some of the releases evoked the response, ‘when was it released’? Just the title and posters put you off. A few were hastily removed from multiplexes after a couple of empty shows. The re-release of the evergreen favourite, ‘Om’ fetched more money than most of these films put together. It is little wonder that most of the iconic, sought after theatres in Majestic are being reduced to rubble, a sad metaphor of the state of the film industry. The fact is that the few directors who showed promise are floundering, groping in the dark seemingly caught in a time warp. It’s disappointing when a sensible person like Yograj Bhat treats audiences like imbeciles. Amongst the superstars only Puneet had two releases, ‘Mythri’ which he reluctantly acknowledged as his film after it garnered favourable feedback and the disappointing ‘Ranavikrama’. Upendra had the embarrassing ‘Shivam’. Sharan’s dream run at the box-office took a nosedive with ‘Raja Rajendra’. It’s been a good year for Ajay Rao. ‘Krishna Leela’ which he also produced hit the bull’s eye. He was also appreciated in ‘Endhendhigu’, Imran Sardhariya’s promising directorial debut. The list of films to be released in the latter half is mostly not encouraging either, save a stray ‘Apoorva’ or ‘Aatagara’ directed by Ravichandran and Chaitanya respectively.
June starts with the much awaited (amongst Sudeep fans) ‘Ranna’, a remake of the Telugu blockbuster ‘Atharintiki Dharedhi’. Sudeep, in his keenness to consolidate his position as a bankable star is taking no chances. After uniting two warring families in ‘Manikya’ which was the Kannada version of ‘Mirchi’, he’ll reunite an aging father and his wronged daughter in ‘Ranna’. Yes, there will be action, comedy and dances in distant lands but the onus will be on sentiment. The release has been delayed, mired as it was in money matters. Gokul films, old industry hands have resurfaced to distribute the film, state wide. It may be one of the smallest industries but star wars continue to simmer. Little known is the fact that a clash of egos was averted pretty smoothly. Shivanna’s much awaited ‘Vajrakaya’ was also slated for release this weekend. It was more the work of an over-enthusiastic fan who announced it on social networking sites. Fans of both the stars were sharpening their Twitter fangs. There were pleased not to announce a later date because it will be a sign of weakness if not defeat. Wiser counsel ultimately prevailed. ‘Vajrakaya’ will arrive later, unopposed. The saleability of a star is determined by the rate his film fetches, overall, including the telecast rights. Sudeep is inching towards the figures set by Darshan and Puneet, considered the most bankable in the tiny Kannada constellation. This is besides appearing as the antagonist in Vijay’s next Tamil release, ‘Puli’ and the most expected film in recent times, ‘Bahubali’. He has also announced the launch of three Kannada films on the same day as if to make up for lost time. Audiences have evolved with the times. Kannada viewers don’t live in a cultural and creative cocoon, exposed as they are to some inspiring stuff being churned out in other languages. You can no longer con them with outdated emotions. It’s the filmmakers who have to change and infuse freshness, in thought and action. We’re waiting!
sshivu@yahoo.com
