It’s Been Almost 6 Months; What’s Happening in the Kannada Industry?
It’s been a very long time since the Kannada audience watched a good Kannada movie. It’s almost six months into 2025, and only a few movies like ‘Choo Mantar’ and ‘Yuddhakanda: Chapter 2’ have managed to pull a limited audience to the theatres. In the past six months, more than 110 movies have been released. But if we look at the success rate, it’s disappointing.
Where is it Going Wrong?
If we look at the history of the Kannada film industry and the path it has travelled, there have been a few phases where the entire industry went through tough times. As an industry, it always has the potential to produce good movies. After the success of ‘KGF’, ‘Kantara’, and ‘Charlie’, the expectations for Kannada films naturally increased. But none of the recent movies have lived up to that expectation. This is mainly because most of the films released in the past two years were either shot during or before the COVID era.
Audiences have moved on and are now exposed to cinema from all other regions easily through OTT platforms. If the audience has to come to the theatre, the film must meet or exceed their expectations. Unfortunately, none of the movies are focusing on that. This is not a problem exclusive to Kannada cinema—even Bollywood is facing a similar situation.
When many fail to deliver good films, the audience naturally loses hope. That is what has happened now. If more quality films are released consistently, audiences might start returning to theatres in large numbers. Publicity creates expectations, but when the film does not meet those expectations, disappointment sets in. Social media gimmicks, trolls, memes, and interviews have all reached a saturation point. Additionally, corporate bookings and fake views are more transparent now. There was a time when people had to figure out what was fake—now, almost every movie team is struggling to prove that their content has organic reach on social media.
Story – Screenplay – Direction – Production:
Every movie team pours their heart and soul into making a film. According to them, their story is unique, exciting, and close to reality. But for the audience, that’s not enough. These days, we often hear comments like “the acting was good,” or “the music director did his job,” or “the direction was nice”—but as a complete film, it could have been much better.
* The most basic and important thing is emotion in the story.The producer must invest in the story. It’s fine to provide a platform for their kids or relatives, but the film must also have a compelling storyline.
*A gripping screenplay is a must.Be it a family drama, thriller, action, or any other genre, the current time demands a screenplay that excites the audience. Visual media requires such storytelling.
*Depth in characterisation is needed. If the story has to connect with the audience, the characters must connect with them emotionally. The pain or joy that the character feels should be transferred to the audience. This is possible only when the writer creates powerful and relatable situations. If the writer doesn’t feel the emotion, there’s no way the audience will.
*Direction and production quality are also crucial. Many legendary directors with big production house backing also fail to deliver a hit. Every detail—music, cinematography, editing, sound design, title, posters, poster design, production quality, artists’ performances, and the pace of narration—matters.
Film Chamber is Busy:
There’s negativity spreading everywhere. Currently, there is no go-to person or someone who has complete control over the industry. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce is busy resolving issues between movie teams and artists—banning actors, banning films, and handling internal disputes.Recently, the teams behind ‘Maadeva’ and ‘Sanju Weds Geetha 2’ approached the chamber seeking justice. According to the ‘Maadeva’ team, even though the film has received a positive response, multiplexes are not giving it proper shows or screens. This happens almost every time a big-budget film from another language releases. Yet, the chamber has still not found a solution for this issue—perhaps it never will.Meanwhile, the director and producer of ‘Sanju Weds Geetha 2’ have filed a complaint against lead actress Rachita Ram, stating that she hasn’t appeared at any of the film’s promotional events. This movie was released in January and was re-released in June with an additional 21 minutes. But both times, it failed to draw crowds to the theatres.
What’s Next?
A few promising films are lined up for release in the second half of the year, including ‘The Rise of Ashoka’, ‘Karavali’, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1′, ’45’, and ‘KD’. Hope these may help the industry regain some of its momentum—but that alone is not enough. New filmmakers with good content need strong support from production houses and celebrities. Star actors must live up to the expectations of their fans and deliver quality cinema more frequently. Also, the kannada audience have completely shifted to OTT platform. Recently a filmmaker said, “it is very hard to get the audience back to the theatre. The only way is to deliver a good quality and content cinema consistently. This helps to gain back the trust”.
Every filmmaker, artist, and producer is working hard. But what the industry needs right now is collective success. Healthy collaboration and a steady stream of good movies are what will bring the Kannada film industry back on track.
-Pramod Mohan Hegde
