- Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy

Transcription

T A PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (TAPMI)
MANIPAL
KANNADA FILM INDUSTRY
CHALLENGES & THE WAY FORWARD
A Report prepared for
Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy
August 2015
By : Dr. Gururaj Kidiyoor
Dr. Prashant Yatgiri
Prof. Sham Ranjan Shetty
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all We would like to thank Shri. S V Rajendra Singh Babu, a renowned
producer/director and Chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy,
Bengaluru for urging us to take up a study on the regional cinema which is rather
unusual for a b-school faculty. Once it was decided to go ahead, he gave us all the
support required in terms of data and contacts for primary information. We shall
remain indebted to him.
We thank Mr. Thomas D’Souza, President, Karnataka Film Chamber of
Commerce, Mr.B M Harish, Hon. Secretary, Karnataka Film Chamber of
Commerce, Mr. K C N Chandru, Film Producer and Distributor and Mr. N M
Kumar, Film Producer and Exhibitor for sharing their views on the Kannada
movie industry through interviews. We are also grateful to Mr.Shivaram of
Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy for his useful insights on subsidies on movies.
The project lead came from Mr.Pramod Fernandes and Sagar Mukhopadhyaya of
Manipal Technologies, Manipal. They made it sound exciting and enabled contact
with S V Rajendra Singh. Our sincere thanks to them as well.
We also take this opportunity to thank our Director, Dr. R C Natarajan for his
encouragement and support.
Our 2nd year students did all the hard work of data collection from the field. We
thank you Shruty D, Ravikeerthi Somayaji, Gourish Bellad, Niharika G, Joel Vas,
Mahalasa Kini, Vinayaditya, Mahesh Deshpande, Jayanth Bellur, Sunil Prasad,
Pramukh Desai, Arun Bhat, Anup Munavalli and Sagar Manjunath. This project
would not have been possible without you people. Pramukh Desai merits special
thanks for the content he provided on marketing of movies.
Special thanks to Prof. Gurudutt Nayak, Assistant Professor, TAPMI for proof
reading the document.
We would be failing in our duty if we did not thank Mr. P Johnson, Assistant
Administrative Officer, TAPMI and Rebecca Mendonca & Shuba Amin, Academic
Assistants, for their immense help in data entry and consolidation. We are also
grateful to Kiran Kumar, IT Administrator at TAPMI was instrumental in
preparing the questionnaire on Google Docs.
Dr. Gururaj Kidiyoor
Dr. Prashant Yatgiri
Prof. Sham Ranjan Shetty
i
DISCLAIMER
This report is based on an independent project conducted by T A Pai
Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal purely for academic purposes. The
project was basically an initiative of TAPMI towards contributing to the
development of art and culture of Karnataka, of which cinema is an integral part.
The conclusions drawn in this report and the recommendations made are based
on three sources namely, analysis of survey data collected from a sample of
movie goers, in-depth interviews conduced with five persons associated closely
with Kannada movie industry, and secondary sources mainly from the internet
and print. T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) will have the exclusive
copyright of this work for all puposes.
The study is purely exploratory in nature and the report is not prepared to
highlight either proper or improper handling of a business / administrative
situation by any individual or an institution.
August 29, 2015
ii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
i
Disclaimer
ii
Part 1: Overview of Indian Film Industry
1-12
Part 2: Kannada Cinema – A Brief History
13-34
Part 3: Kannada Cinema – Issues and Concerns
35-60
Part 4: Consumer Study
61-85
Part 5: Recommendations
86-112
Annexure 1
Annexure 2
PART 1
OVERVIEW INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY
One hundred years after its conception, the cinema remains a popular art form and
in the developed countries, appears to be the most widely practised cultural activity
especially with rapid advances in technology. Like any other trade, the trade of
cinema too runs on supply and demand philosophy. Where there is a demand for
certain products and services, there will be a host of suppliers willing to supply them
for profit.
The Indian film industry produces more movies than any other and is seen to be on
the threshold of emerging as a big market internationally. In 2001, the film industry
was granted “industry” status, which has helped to move it to more professionally
approach financing, production and other allied activities. In recent years, the Indian
film industry has witnessed marked improvements on all fronts, viz., technology,
themes, exhibitions, finances, marketing and business environment. Indian film
industry is also getting corporatized. Foreign direct investments (FDI) in all film
related activities such as film production, distribution, exhibition, marketing etc. is
permitted up to 100% for all companies under the automatic route.
Until the end of the 1990s, the Indian film industry received a lot of its finances from
shady and unknown sources. An investment into a film was and still is risky. In 1999,
only 11% of the films released made good business; and the number is not above
25% even now. Lately, the granting of industry status has made financing much
more accessible to producers. The Mumbai film industry (Bollywood) is star-centric
and actors like Amitabh Bachchan are worshiped like half-gods by their numerous
fans. This is why, although they are the largest stakeholders in film production,
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producers do not dictate terms. Also, the cost structure of Indian movies is hard to
estimate, since the majority of the commercial dealings are cash transactions. Stars
also often work on several sets during the same period of time, which can cause
delays. Disciplinary efforts by the producers come to naught, and because of the
absence of insurance models, completion guarantors and gap financing systems,
they have to bear all the financial risks1.
India is the largest producer of films in the world. In 2009 India produced a total of
2,961 films on celluloid that includes a staggering figure of 1,288 feature films.
Indian film industry is multilingual and the largest in the world in terms of ticket
sales and number of films produced and 7th largest in terms of revenue. It is also
perhaps the oldest film industry in Asia after Japan. The industry is supported
mainly by a vast film-going Indian public, and Indian films have been gaining
increasing popularity in the rest of the world—notably in countries with large
numbers of expatriate Indians. The largest film industry in India is the Hindi film
industry mostly concentrated in Mumbai, and is commonly referred to as
"Bollywood", an amalgamation of Bombay and Hollywood, which produces around
20% of films in India. The other largest film industries are Telugu cinema, Tamil
cinema, Malayalam cinema, Bangla cinema, and Kannada cinema, which are located
in Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkatta and Bangalore are commonly referred to as
"Tollywood"(Telugu),
"Kollywood"(Tamil),
"Mollywood"(Malayalam),
"Tollywood"(Bangla) and "Sandalwood"(Kannada). The remaining majority portion
is
1
spread
across
northern,
western,
and
southern
India
(with
Competition concerns in the film industry by Dr.K D Singh and Tulika Singh
2
Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Oriya, Assamese Cinema). Indian films are made filled
with musicals, action, romance, comedy, and an increasing number of special effects.
"Bollywood" picks up a larger portion of films produced in India and is viewed all
over the Indian Subcontinent, and is increasingly popular in UK, USA, Australia, New
Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Gulf countries and European countries having
large Indian population.
Enhanced technology paved the way for upgrading from established cinematic
norms of delivering product, altering the manner in which content reached the
target audience. Visual effects based, super hero science fiction, and epic films
like Baahubali. Enthiran, Ra.One, Eega, and Krrish 3 emerged as blockbusters.
Eminent
directors
such
as Satyajit
Ray, Ritwik
Ghatak, Mrinal
Sen, Adoor
Gopalakrishnan, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, G. Aravindan, Aparna Sen,Shaji N. Karun,
and Girish Kasaravalli have made significant contributions to Parallel Cinema and
won global acclaim. Other filmmakers such as Shekhar Kapur, Mira Nair and Deepa
Mehta have found success overseas. The Indian government extended film
delegations to foreign countries such as the United States of America and Japan
while the country's Film Producers Guild sent similar missions through Europe. The
provision of 100% foreign direct investment has made the Indian film market
attractive for foreign enterprises such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Walt
Disney
Pictures and Warner
Productions, Prasad's
Productions, Eros
Bros. Indian
Group, Sun
Films, Ayngaran
enterprises
Pictures, PVP
such
as AVM
Cinemas, Zee, UTV, Suresh
International, Pyramid
Saimira, Aascar
Films and Adlabs also participated in producing and distributing films. Tax
incentives to multiplexes have aided the multiplex boom in India. By 2003 as many
3
as 30 film production companies had been listed in the National Stock Exchange of
India, making the commercial presence of the medium felt.
The South Indian film industry defines the four film cultures of South India as a
single
entity.
They
are
the Kannada,
the Malayalam,
the Tamil and
the Telugu industries. Although developed independently for a long period of time,
gross exchange of film performers and technicians as well as globalisation helped to
shape this new identity. The Indian diaspora consists of millions of Indians overseas
for which films are made available both through mediums such as DVDs and by
screening of films in their country of residence wherever commercially
feasible. These earnings, accounting for some 12% of the revenue generated by a
mainstream film, contribute substantially to the overall revenue of Indian cinema,
the net worth of which was found to be US$1.3 billion in 2000. Music in Indian
cinema is another substantial revenue generator, with the music rights alone
accounting for 4–5% of the net revenues generated by a film in India2.
Hindi cinema
The Hindi language film industry of Mumbai—also known as Bollywood—is the
largest and most powerful branch that controls Indian cinema. Hindi cinema initially
had lots of films exploring issues of caste and culture in films such as Achhut
Kanya (1936) and Sujata (1959). International visibility came to the industry
with Raj Kapoor's Awara and later in Shakti Samantha's Aradhana starring Rajesh
Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. Hindi cinema grew during the 1990s with the release
of as many as 215 films.
2
Source: Potts, 74 & Potts, 75 accessed on 10th August 2015
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In 1995 the Indian economy began showing sustainable annual growth, and Hindi
cinema, as a commercial enterprise, grew at a growth rate of 15% annually. The
salary of lead stars increased greatly. Many actors signed contracts for simultaneous
work in 3–4 films. Institutions such as the Industrial Development Bank of India also
came
forward
to
finance
Hindi
films. A
number
of
magazines
such
as Filmfare, Stardust, Cineblitz, etc., became popular. The audience's reaction
towards Hindi cinema is quite distinctive with involvement in the films by
audience's endorsements through clapping, singing, reciting familiar dialogue with
the actors.
Kannada cinema
Kannada film industry, also referred as Sandalwood, is based in Bengaluru and
caters mostly to the state of Karnataka. Rajkumar was eminent in Kannada film
industry. In his career, he performed versatile characters and sung hundreds of
songs
for
film
and
albums.
Other
notable
Kannada
include Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish,Ravichandran, Girish
Raj, Shankar
Nag, Ananth
Kumar, Puneet
and
Tulu
actors
Karnad, Prakash
Nag, Upendra, Darshan, Sudeep, Ganesh, Shivaraj
Rajkumar,
Kalpana,
Bharathi, Jayanthi,
Pandari
Bai, Tara, Umashri and Ramya.
Film
directors
from
the
Kannada
film
industry
like Girish
Kasaravalli, P.Sheshadri have garnered national recognition. Other noted directors
include Puttanna Kanagal, G. V. Iyer,Girish Karnad, T. S. Nagabharana, Kesari
Harvoo, Upendra, Yograj Bhat, and Soori. In the arena of music direction G.K.
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Venkatesh, Vijaya
Bhaskar, Rajan-Nagendra, Hamsalekha, Gurukiran, Anoop
Seelin and V. Harikrishna are some of the noted music directors.
Kannada
cinema,
along with Bengali
and Malayalam films,
contributed
simultaneously to the age of Indian parallel cinema. Some of the influential Kannada
Films based on this genre are Samskara ( based on a novel by U R Ananthamurthy),
Chomana Dudi by B V Karanth, Tabarana Kathe, Vamshavruksha, Kadu Kudure,
Hamsageethe, Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu, Accident, Maanasa Sarovara, Ghatashraddha,
Mane, Kraurya, Thayi Saheba, Dweepa, Munnudi, Atithi, Beru, Thutturi, Vimukthi,
Bettada Jeeva and Bharath Stores.
The Government Film and Television Institute, Bangalore (formerly a part of
S.J.Polytechnic) is believed as the first government institute in India to start
technical courses related to films with legends like V K Murthy, Govind Nihalani etc.
passing out from this institute.
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam film industry, also known as Mollywood, is based in Kerala. It is
considered to be the fourth largest among the film industries in India. Malayalam
film industry is known for films that bridge the gap between parallel cinema and
mainstream cinema by portraying thought-provoking social issues with top notch
technical
perfection
but
with
low
budgets.
Filmmakers
include Adoor
Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N. Karun, G. Aravindan, K. G. George, Padmarajan, Sathyan
Anthikad, T. V. Chandran and Bharathan.
Vigathakumaran, a silent movie released in 1928 produced and directed by J. C.
Daniel, marked the beginning of Malayalam cinema. Malayalam films were mainly
6
produced by Tamil producers till 1947, when the first major film studio, Udaya
Studio, was established in Kerala. In 1954, the film Neelakkuyil captured national
interest by winning the President's silver medal. Chemmeen (1965), directed by
Ramu Kariat and based on a story by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become
immensely popular, and became the first South Indian film to win the National Film
Award for Best Feature Film.[199]
The period from late 1980s to early 1990s is popularly regarded as the 'Golden Age
of Malayalam Cinema with the emergence of actors Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh
Gopi,Jayaram, Murali, Thilakan and Nedumudi Venu and filmmakers such as I.V.
Sasi, Bharathan, Padmarajan, K. G. George, Sathyan Anthikad, Priyadarshan, A. K.
Lohithadas,Siddique-Lal, T. K. Rajeev Kumar and Sreenivasan. In 2014, the total
number of Malayalam movies released were 148
Marathi cinema
Marathi cinema is the films produced in the Marathi language in the state of
Maharashtra. Marathi Cinema is one of the oldest industry in Indian Cinema. In fact
the pioneer of cinema in Union of India was Dadasaheb Phalke, who brought the
revolution of moving images to India with his first indigenously made silent
film Raja Harishchandra in 1913, which is considered by IFFI and NIFD part of
Marathi cinema as it was made by a Marathi crew.
The first Marathi talkie film, Ayodhyecha Raja (produced by Prabhat Films) was
released in 1932, just one year after "Alam Ara" the first Hindi talkie film. Marathi
cinema has grown immensely with two of its films, namely "Shwaas" (2004) and
"Harishchandrachi Factory" (2009), being sent as India's official entries for the
7
Oscars. Today the industry is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, but it sprouted and
grew first from Kolhapur and then Pune.
Maharashtra has immense contribution to Bollywood as several Maharashtrian
actors have brought glamour to the Indian film industry. Marathi film industry has
included the work of actors including Nutan, Tanuja, V Shantaram, Shriram
Lagoo, Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo, Nana Patekar, Smita Patil, Madhuri Dixit, Sonali
Kulkarni, Sonali Bendre, Urmila Matondkar, Reema Lagoo, Lalita Pawar, Mamta
Kulkarni, Nanda, Padmini Kolhapure, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Sachin Khedekar, Durga
Khote, and others.
Tamil Cinema
The Tamil film industry, also known as Kollywood is based in Chennai and is the
largest in India in terms of movies produced. The city once served as a base for
all South Indian films and to date remains South India's largest film production
centre.
Sivaji Ganesan became India's first ever actor to receive an international award
when he won the "Best Actor" award at the Afro-Asian film festival in 1960 and was
awarded the title of Chevalier in the Legion of Honour by the French Government in
1995. Tamil cinema is also influenced by Dravidian politics, with prominent film
personalities
like C
N
Annadurai, M
G
Ramachandran, M
Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa becoming Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Tamil films
are distributed to various parts of Asia, Southern Africa, Northern America, Europe
8
and Oceania. The industry has inspired Tamil film-making in Sri Lanka, Malaysia,
Singapore and Canada.
Rajnikanth is referred to as "Superstar" and has since continued to hold a matinee
idol status in the popular culture of South India. His mannerisms and stylised
delivery of dialogue in films contribute to his mass popularity and appeal. After
earning Rs.26 crore(US$4.1 million) for his role in Sivaji (2007), he became the
highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan. Kamal Haasan made his debut in
Kalathur Kannamma for which he won the President's Gold Medal for Best Child
Actor. Haasan is tied with Mammootty and Amitabh Bachchan for the most Best
Actor National Film Awards with three. With seven submissions, Kamal Haasan has
starred in the highest number of films submitted India for the Academy Award Best
Foreign Language Film.
In Tamil films music and songs play an important role. Critically acclaimed
composers such as Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman having "international following"
belong to Tamil cinema. Play back singer S. P. Balasubramanyam holds the Guinness
World Record of having sung the most number of songs for any male playback singer
in the world. S. Janaki has sung over 30,000 songs and has won 4 national awards.
Telugu Cinema
The highest number of theaters are located in the Indian states of Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana which produce films in the Telugu language. A total of 2809
theatres are located in these regions out of 10167 theaters running in India. Ramoji
Film City, which holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest film
production facility, is located in Hyderabad, India. The Prasad's IMAX located in
9
Hyderabad is the world's largest 3D IMAX screen and is the most attended screen in
the world. Hyderabad is the only city in India which has six functional Film studios.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has the most number of Cinema Theaters in India.
In 2002, the Guinness Book of Records named Vijaya Nirmala as the female director
with most number of films; she made 47 films. In a career spanning approximately
two decades, she acted in over 200 films with 25 each in Malayalam and Tamil. She
also produced 15 films. Telugu actor Brahmanandam holds the Guinness World
Record for acting in the most number of films in a single language. Movie
producer D.Rama Naidu holds the Guinness World Record as the most prolific
producer with 130 films.
S. V. Ranga Rao is one of the first Indian actors of the time to receive international
award at Indonesian Film Festival, held in Jakarta for Narthanasala in 1963. N. T.
Rama Rao was one of the most commercially successful Telugu actors of his time. B.
Narsing Rao, K. N. T. Sastry and Pattabhirama Reddy have garnered international
recognition for their pioneering work in Parallel Cinema. Adurthi Subba Rao, has
garnered ten National Film Awards, the highest individual awards in Telugu cinema,
for his pioneering work as a director.
In the years 2005, 2006 and 2008 the Telugu Film industry produced the largest
number of films in India exceeding the number of films produced in Bollywood, with
268, 245 and 286 films in each year respectively.
Tulu cinema
10
Tulu film industry is a part of Indian cinema. It produces 2 to 3 films annually.
Usually these films are released in theatres across the Tulu Nadu region which
consists of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. The critically acclaimed Tulu
Film Suddha, won the award for the best Indian Film at the Osian film festival held
at New Delhi in the year 2006. Oriyardori Asal released in 2011 is the most
successful Tulu film till date.
The first Tulu film is Enna Thangadi released in 1971. Dareda Budedi produced by
K.N. Taylor was the second feature film released in the same year. Bisatti
Babu produced in 1972 was the first film to receive the State government award as
the best Tulu film. Bangar Patler produced in 1993 by Richard Castelino has won the
highest national and international awards. September 8, directed by Richard
Castelino, starring Kannada actor Sunil and Kannada writer, K Shivaram Karanth
was shot in 24 hours entirely in Mangalore, a record in the world cinema.
Nirel directed by Ranjith Bajpe, produced by Shodhan Prasad and co - produced by
San Poojary will be the first Tulu movie totally produced overseas.
Revenue Contributions
While the Hindi movie industry in India is the largest, the country also has a fairly
large and active regional movie industry . Films in India are usually segmented into
3 key groups, based on language: A) Hindi; B) Regional (includes Tamil, Telugu,
Other Regional); C) International (includes English and foreign language films)
The Hindi film industry is the largest in India, representing 43% of net box office
revenue. Within the Regional film industry, Tamil and Telugu are the largest
segments comprising 36% of net box office revenues
11
The ‘Other Regional’ segment (comprising 15% of net box office revenues) in
FY2013 was estimated to be: ‒ Malayalam (FY2013): INR 250-275 Cr (US$ 40-44
mn); Kannada (FY2013): INR 250-275 Cr (US$ 40-44 mn); Bengali (CY2012): INR
100 Cr (US$ 16 mn); Marathi (CY2011): INR 100 Cr (US$ 16 mn); Punjabi (CY2011):
INR 50 Cr (US$ 8 mn); industry participants suggest that the Bhojpuri industry is
also a notable contributor to regional cinema
Large national producers such as Reliance Entertainment, Eros, Disney UTV, Viacom
18 Motion Pictures, Fox Star Studios as well as independent producers like Emmay
Entertainment (Nikhil Advani), Akshay Kumar and Grazing Goat Productions plan to
spend 20% of their annual budgets on regional cinema
International films is currently a small, but growing segment, driven by rising
numbers of English (and other foreign language) speakers, as well as increasing
numbers of international movies witnessing dubbed releases across the country key
highlights3.
A comparison of movies released in major languages in the last five years4
Year
Kannada
Hindi
Telugu
Tamil
Malayalam
Marathi
2010
137
130
98
141
105
56
2011
104
102
104
131
104
67
2012
91
104
96
143
127
73
2013
121
113
105
148
158
64
2014
118
201
195
215
148
55
Total
571
650
598
778
642
315
3
Economic Contribution of the Indian Motion Picture and Television Industry by Deliotte, March 2014
4
www.wikipedia.com accessed on 10th August 2015
12
PART 2
KANNADA CINEMA – A BRIEF HISTORY
The Cinema of Karnataka, sometimes colloquially referred to as 'Chandanavana'
or the Sandalwood, is a part of Indian cinema, where motion pictures are
produced in the Kannada language, and based in Bengaluru. Today more than 100
films are made every year. In terms of the size, Kannada cinema falls in the 2nd
cluster along with Bengali and Marathi movies with 100 – 150 movies being made
every year. The top cluster is represented by Hindi, Tamil and Telugu cinema,
each of which make more than 150 movies per year. Bhojpuri and Gujarati cinema
which produce between 50-100 movies a year fall in the 2nd cluster. However in
terms of revenues, Kannada cinema is ahead of Marathi and Bengali movies.
However as far as to south Indian movies are concerned, Kannada movies
contribute just 2% of the revenues. Telugu and Tamil movies have 45% share
each.
Kannada films are released in a total of 950 single screen theatres in Karnataka
and a handful of the movies are also released in the United States, Australia,
Germany, the United Kingdom and other countries. The first government institute
in India to start technical courses related to films was established in 1941 named
as occupational institute then named as S. J. Polytechnic in Bengaluru. In
September 1996, two specialized courses, Cinematography and Sound &
Television were separated, and a new Institute Government Film and Television
Institute was started at Hesaraghatta, under the World Bank Assisted Project for
Technician Development in India.
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Early history
As early as in 1925 a silent movie, Vasantasena, based on Sanskrit drama
Mrochakatika was made in Karnataka. Produced by Mr. Bhavanani, it starred
Jaikishan Nanda, Y Ramarao, Dr. S S Narayana Shastri and the well known T P
Kailasam. It is believed that between the periods 1921 to 1933, as many as 175
silent movies were made in Karnataka.
The age of the silent movies came to an end in 1935 with the first Kannada talkie,
Sati Sulochana, appearing in theatres, followed by Bhakta Dhruva. Both Sati
Sulochana and Bhakta Dhruva were major successes. Sati Sulochana was shot in
Maharashtra Cinetone studio in Kolhapur and most of the filming, sound
recording, and post-production was done in Chennai. Sati Sulochana was released
in Paramount Talkies in Bangalore and ran for six weeks. The fourth movie in
Kannada was released in 1936, a social drama titled Samsara Nauka.
It was difficult to find financial backing for new film projects in the region, thus
very few movies in Kannada were released during the early years of Indian sound
cinema. In fact between 1934 and 1949 only 28 movies were made in Kannada,
which amounted to less than 2 movies per year. Among these movies successful
ones were Sati Sulochana, Samsara Nauka, Jeevana Nataka (1942), Satya
Harishchandra (1943), Vasantasena (1941), Bhakta Kumbara (1949) and
Nagakannika (1949). The reasons for this slow growth can be attributed to the
14
competition from drama companies1 and the general slow down in the movie
industry on account of the second world war. Moreover the industry faced
distribution issues as Kannada speaking areas were split among various
provinces under the British rule. There were problems in getting the movies to
the rural areas and the urban elite did not perceive Kannada movies to be good.
Hence the market for Kannada movies was very limited.
During these times of distress, a production company “Mahatma Pictures” came to
the rescue of the industry. Led by partners D. Shankar Singh and B Vittalacharya,
it made attempts to get the industry rooted in Karnataka and brought in a
disciplined way of making movies within a limited budget. Though their initial
movies Krishnaleela (1947) and Bhakta Ramadas (1948) did not do well,
Nagakannika (1949) was a big success at the box office. Though the partners
separated in early 1950s, Shankar Singh continued to make movies not only
under the Mahatma Pictures banner but also under “Venkateshwara Productions”
and “Padukeshwara Pictures”. All in all Shankar Singh is believed to have been
involved in the production of as many as 48 movies.
Another dignitary, Gubbi Veeranna could be considered the doyen of Kannada
cinema during the mid to late forties. In 1949, Honnappa Bhagavathar, who had
earlier acted in Gubbi Veeranna's films, produced Bhaktha Kumbara and starred
in the lead role along with Pandaribai. In 1955, Honnappa Bhagavathar again
produced a Kannada film, Mahakavi Kalidasa, in which he introduced B. Saroja
Devi who went on to become one of the most sought after stars in Tamil, Telugu
1
Drama companies were a major draw during this time and people preferred dramas to movies.
15
and Kannada movies in 1960s and early 70s.
Another production house, “Padmini Pictures” under the leadership of B R
Pantulu (1910- 1974) entered the Kannada industry in 1955 with the social
drama Modala Tedi which was a huge success. Under this banner, 20 Kannada
movies were made from 1955 to 1972, and out of this 18 were directed by B R
Pantulu himself. Many of his movies such as Beedi Basavanna (1967), Emme
Thammanna(1966), Amma(1968), and Sri Krishnadevaraya (1970) had starred
Rajkumar, who was to become the superstar in later years.
K R Seetharama Sastry ("Kurasi") was an actor, film director, lyricist, and screen
playwright from the mid-forties through the late seventies. Kurasi introduced
several artists to Kannada film industry, including Shivaram (Beratha Jeeva, 1965)
and Shakthi Prasad (father of Kannada, Telugu and Tamil actor/director Arjun).
Narasimharaju (1923 – 1979) and G. V. Iyer (1917 – 2003) decided to form a
partnership and produce movies. The partnership lasted for only a couple of
movies. Ranadhira Kanteerava was one such successful joint venture. The
majority of the films during this decade were either mythological or historical in
nature. Narasimharaju was a famous comedian who starred in most of the movies
made during this time. He had a large group of admirers and even today his acting
is taken as the benchmark in comedy in Kannada films. G V Iyer later went to
make landmark movies in Sanskrit that won critical appreciation and many
awards.
16
The entry of Rajkumar (1929 – 2006) in the early 1950s encouraged the Kannada
film industry to make more historical movies. Bedara Kannappa (1954) was the
first Kannada movie, which completed 365 days at the theatres and it received a
letter of appreciation from the central government. During this period, the
Kannada movie industry had three prominent heroes namely Rajkumar, Uday
Kumar (1933 – 1985) and Kalyan Kumar (1928 – 1999). Among the three, Uday
Kumar did not restrict himself to playing hero roles and acted in a variety of roles
such as villain, brother etc. Due to his physical appearance he was also considered
for elderly character roles such father or grand father. Perhaps due to this, slowly
but surely he lost the race towards stardom. Kalyan Kumar however played the
role of the hero in a majority of the movies but he was lured by the canvas and the
reach of Tamil cinema and stayed more focused on multi-lingual presence. He did
act in some famous Tamil movies such as Nenjil Oru Alayam (in 1962 where he
starred with Sivaji Ganesan),
Paasam, Azhagu Nilaand, Mani Osai, Yarukku
Sontham etc,. On the other hand, Rajkumar acted mainly in hero roles and stayed
focused on Kannada movies. In the earlier stages of his career, he did not act in
non-Kannada movies perhaps by default and later stages, he stayed away from
non-Kannada movies by choice.
Among the female actors, there have been several who had long careers in
Kannada movies. M V Rajamma (1923 – 1999) , Pandari Bai (1928 – 2003), Harini
( 1937 - ) and Leelavati (1938 - ) were popular heroines from 1950 – 1970 and
they have played female leads opposite Rajkumar, Uday Kumar and Kalyan
Kumar. In the late 60s and 70s, the pairing of Rajkumar with Jayanthi and Bharati
were very popular. Jayanthi has the distinction of playing heroine with Rajkumar
17
in more than 35 movies while Bharati (who later married actor Vishnuvardhan)
paired with him in some of his most successful movies that included Bangarada
Manushya.
1970s and 1980s
Most of the movies produced till 1960s belonged to the historical, mythological or
the folklore genre. One fine exponent of this was the multifaceted Hunusur
Krishnamurthy (1914 – 1989) who was adept at writing dialogues, screenplay
and songs. In fact he was the writer for most of the earlier movies produced under
the banner of Mahatma Pictures. He took to direction in 1958 with the movie Asha
Sundari and went on to direct several hit movies that included Sri Krishna Garudi,
Satya Harishchandra, Devara Gedda Manava,
Bhakta Kumabara
and
Bhabruvahana.
The 1970s and the 1980s are often considered to be the Golden Age of Kannada
cinema. The industry made a shift from black and white to color movies and the
first cinemascope movie Sose Thanda Saubhagya was released in 1977. This was
the period when Kannada cinema made its presence felt through good quality
movies that were also commercially successful. It was also the period that
witnessed the birth of alternate cinema or parallel cinema. Kannada cinema
spearheaded the parallel cinema movement in India along with Hindi, Bengali and
Malayalam cinemas.
B. V. Karanth's Chomana Dudi (an evocative film on caste distinctions based on the
18
award winning novel by Dr. Shivaram Karanth), Girish Karnad's Kaadu and Girish
Kasaravalli's Ghatashraddha (1977) spearheaded the Kannada parallel cinema.
Vamshavruksha (1971),
Prema Karanth's Phaniyamma (1983), Kadu Kudure
(1979), Hamsageethe (1975), Accident (1985), Akramana (1980), Mooru Daarigalu
(1981), Tabarana Kathe (1987), Bannadha Vesha (1988) and Puttanna Kanagal's
Naagarahaavu (1972) were some of the important movies of this era.
Though the practice of making popular novels into movies was not new to
Kannada cinema, Puttanna Kanagal (1933 – 1985) made it almost mandatory for
his movies. He had worked in B R Pantulu’s Padmini Pictures earlier and made his
debut as director through Belli Moda in 1967 which was based on a novel by
Triveni. The other novel based movies made him are Sharapanjara (1971), Gejje
Pooje
(1969),
Nagarahavu
(2002),
Edakallu
Guddada
Mele
(1973),
Shubhamangala (1975) and Ranganayaki (1981) to name a few. His movies were
known for strong female characters, good locations and catchy music. He was
admired by the famous Tamil movie director K Balachander and another wellknown Tamil director Bharatiraja had done his apprenticeship under Puttanna
Kanagal. Puttanna Kanagal is considered as the first star director of Kannada
cinema.
Siddalingaiah (1936 – 2015) directed Mayor Muthanna in 1969 starring
Rajkumar, Bharathi and Dwarakish in his film debut. He cast the same lead pair in
Baalu Belagithu (1970), Namma Samsara (1971), Thayi Devaru (1971) and
Bangaarada Manushya (1972). After Bangaarda Manushya, he worked with other
actors including Vishnuvardhan, Ananth Nag, Lokesh and Srinivasa Murthy. He
19
introduced his son Murali in the 1983 romantic drama Prema Parva. He also
directed a Tamil film Puthir in 1986 with Murali as the lead actor. His last film,
Prema Prema Prema, was released in 1999 after which he retired from directing.
In 1993–94, he was awarded the Puttanna Kanagal Award for his contribution to
the Kannada film industry as a director.
V Somashekhar (1937 – 2003) was another popular director during this time. In
40 years of his career as a director, he directed 49 films that includes commercial
successes such as Premada Kanike (1976), Shankar Guru (1978), Seetharamu
(1979) and Chakravyuha (1983). Following his directorial career, he worked as
the President of Kannada Film Directors Association. Recognizing his contribution
to Kannada cinema, he was awarded the Puttanna Kanagal Award in 2001.
By early 1970s, Rajkumar was a steady and consistent performer and had firmly
established himself in the industry with more than 150 films to his credit. He had
a different approach to acting as compared to his contemporaries from Tamil and
Telugu movie industries such as M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, N T Rama
Rao and A Nageswara Rao. Though he had come from the theatre background
Rajkumar’s acting was devoid of theatrics and he avoided going over the top.
Nevertheless he was known for his versatility and excelled in all genres movies
such as Mythologies, Historicals, Socials dramas, Spy Thrillers and Romance. His
performance in movies such as Bhoo Kailasa (1958), Sati Shakti (1963), Kasturi
Nivasa (1971), Bangarada Manushya (1972), Mayura, Gandhada Gudi (1973),
Shankar Guru (1978) were unprallelled. He had built up a great fan following by
early 1970s but his crowd pulling capacity all over Karnataka was demonstrated
20
through a movie called Sampattige Sawal. Released in 1974, it was a moneyspinner with even small centers in north Karnataka turning in excellent
collections. Though his earlier 1972 movie Bangarada Manushya was a runaway
success, the laurels were shared by the actor, the director (Siddalingayya) and the
story writer ( T K Ramarao). Even the 1973 golden jubilee hit Gandhada Gudi ran
because of its novelty (forest conservation), and all round excellence (acting,
direction, locations, music, screenplay). The movie Sampattige Sawal changed the
way the industry and the people viewed Rajkumar. Each movie he did after this
was a virtual money spinner (with very few exceptions). Movies such as Mayura
(1975), Naa Ninna Mareyalre (1976), Bangarada Panjara (1974), which he
starred during this period are remembered even to this day. Later he restricted
his acting mainly to his home productions and gave many hits such as Shankar
Guru, Thayige Takka Maga (1978), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Anuraga Aralithu
(1986) and Odahuttidavaru (1994) to name a few. Rajkumar retained his star
power till his last movie (206th) Shabdavedi which was released in the year 2000.
He had several fan associations that would celebrate the release of his movies
with large cut outs and garlands, a practice which probably began in Tamil Nadu.
Rajkumar has won several awards for his contribution to Kannada cinema that
includes Padma Bushan and Dada Saheb Phalke award.
Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh were the two stars born in this decade. Ace
director Puttanna Kanagal decided to make Nagarahavu based on the Kannada
novel with the same name2 and cast two newcomers in the movie. Vishnuvardhan
It was actually based on a trilogy of novels – Nagarahavu, Eradu Hennu Ondu Gandu and
Sarpamatsara.
2
21
(who had debuted in 1972 with a miniscule role in the award winning film
Vamshavriksha) was cast as the hero and Ambareesh in a small negative role.
Produced by N Veeraswamy, Nagarahavu released in 1972, was a stupendous hit
and Vishnuvardhan’s performance as a young rebellious man torn between two
women was highly appreciated. Soon he acted in a negative role opposite
Rajkumar in Gandhada Gudi but then stuck to playing hero movies. Some movies
after Nagarahavu did not do well but he made a comeback with the megahit
“Nagarahole” directed by ace director S V Rajendra Singh (Babu). He never looked
back after this and went to deliver several hits till his death in 2010. A versatile
actor, he starred in hit movies such as Nagarahole (1977), Sahodarara Sawal
(1977), Guru Shishyaru (1981), Kiladi Jodi (1978), Bandhana (1984), Suprabhata
(1988), Yejamana (2000), and Apthamithra (2004), to name a few. He had a large
fan following and is considered as the second most popular star after Rajkumar.
Vishnuvardhan went on to become a super star of south India acting in 220 films
in 5 main languages of the country. He became recognised at all India level for his
performances.
Ambareesh who had debuted in Nagarahavu, was noticed even though his role
was very small and played the role of the villain in several movies such as
Bangarada Gudi (1976), Seeteyalla Savithri (1973), Devara Kannu (1975), Onde
Roopa Eradu Guna (1975) etc.
With his unconventional looks he was a popular villain and was compared to
Shatrughan Sinha of Bollywood. Ambareesh also did character roles in movies
such as Shubhamangala (1975), Muyyige Muyyi (1978), and Nagarahole (1977).
22
Slowly he graduated to playing second hero roles in movies such as Pakka Kalla
(1979) and Sneha Sedu (1978) and played the role of full fledged hero in
Amarnath (1978). However it was the 1980 monster hit Antha which catapulted
him to stardom. Based on a novel by H K Anantha Rao and directed by S V
Rajendra Singh (Babu), Antha probably was the first Indian movie that dared to
show the police, politician and the underworld nexus. After this movie,
Ambareesh played hero in most of the movies and some of his successful movies
are Chakravyuha (1983), Snehitara Sawal (1981), Olavina Udugore (1987),
Brahma Vishnu Maheshwara (1988), Sangliana (1988), Indrajit (1989), Rani
Maharani (1990), and Odahuttidavaru (1994). He later switched to character
roles and currently he is a minster in Karnataka Government led by Chief Minister
Siddaramayya.
Brothers Anant Nag and the late Shankar Nag, called the Nag brothers, were
popular stars in the 1980s and 1990s. Both had theatre background and the elder
among the brothers Anant Nag shot to fame with the 1972 hit Bayalu Dari, where
he was paired opposite Kalpana. He was known for his natural acting and his
pairing with Lakshmi was very popular. They have given several hits such as Naa
Ninna Mareyalare (1976), Ibbani Karagitu (1983), Chandanada Gome (1979),
Dhairya Laxmi (1979) and Mudidida Tavare Aralitu (1983). While Anant Nag had
his fan following among the elite and upper middle class, his younger brother
Shankar Nag was popular among masses. Debuting in Ondanondu Kaladalli
(1978), a period action flick directed by Girish Karnad, he won the best actor
award in an international film festival. He became a full fledged commercial movie
hero with Seeta Ramu (1979) and went on to deliver hits such as Auto Raja and
23
Sangliana. He turned a director with Minchina Ota (1980) and followed this up
with Geeta (1981), Januma Janumada Anubhanda (1980), Accident (1985), Nodi
Swamy Navirode Heege (1983) and Ondu Muttina Kathe (1987) (with Rajkumar in
the lead). His movies were “bridge” between art and commercial and have won
many awards (Accident, Minchina Ota). Shankar Nag also made his mark on the
television arena with Malgudi Days, a very popular serial based on stories by R K
Narayan. Shankar Nag’s untimely death in 1990 created a void in Kannada cinema
which is yet to be filled.
The other popular actors of 70 through 80s are Srinath ,known for his portrayal
of romantic roles, and the late Prabhakar who was admired in action roles.
Srinath acted in many movies directed by the legendary Puttanna Kanagal
Shubhamangala (1975), Dharmasere (1979), Manasa Sarovara (1982) and
Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage (1983) ). He is a popular TV actor now and acts
in movies when good roles are offered. Prabhakar acted in several hit action
movies before he passed away in 2001.
Lokesh, Ashok, M. P. Shankar, and Sunder Krishna Urs were other actors who
made their own mark in the industry. Puttana Kanagal paved the way for the
above-mentioned actors as well as Ramakrishna, Kokila Mohan, and
Chandrashekar. Lakshmi, Padma Vaasanthi, Geetha, Madhavi, Saritha, and
Jayamala were some of the actresses who made their mark.
Dwarakish, a famous Kannada artiste who mainly played the role of comedian had
turned producer in 1966 with the movie Mamateya Bandhana.
In 1969, he
24
independently produced Mayor Muthanna, under the banner of "Dwaraka Films3".
Rajkumar and Bharathi played the lead roles in this movie. This movie was a great
hit.
After Mayor Muthanna (1969), Dwarakish gave a series of box office
successes to Kannada cinema, one after the other for the next two decades. He
became the king of Kannada cinema producers. As an actor, he was often typecast
as a comedian. But some of his movies were comic action movies, also starring the
actor Vishnuvardhan. He is popularly called 'Kulla', meaning a short man in
Kannada. He was the first producer to shoot a Kannada film outside India and the
film was Singapoorinalli Raja Kulla (1978). It was a milestone in the history of
Kannada cinema. He has in total produced 49 Kannada films and acted in more
than 300 films. The earlier movies produced by him were directed by others but
later he started directing his own movies.
S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu, son of D Shankar Singh of Mahatma Pictures, shot to
fame with Nagara Hole in 1976 which is considered one of the best children
movies made in India. He followed it up with hits such as Kiladi Jodi (1978),
Bandhana (1984) and Antha (1981). Rajendra Singh Babu has made movies in
different genres. He has written and directed love stories, war, suspense thrillers
and comedy movies. Many of his films have been adapted from novels or short
stories. He is known for technical finesse and lavishly mounted movies. He is not
only famous in Karnataka but also across all of India. Babu has won numerous
awards for his films and has also directed movies in Hindi ( Sharara, Meri Awaz
Suno and Ek Se Bhale Do ) and Telugu languages.
3
Later named as Dwarakish Chitra
25
Other noted directors during this time are Dorai – Bhagavan, Bhargava and K V
Jayaram. The director duo of Dorai – Bahagwan is the first to make James Bond
style movies in Kannada. Then they went on directing great movies like Kasturi
Nivasa (1971), Eradu Kanasu (1974), Bayalu dhari (1977), Gaali Mathu (1981),
Chandayana Gombe (1979), Hosa Belaku (1982), Benkiya Bale (1983), Jeevana
Chaitra (1992) and more bond style movies such as Goa dalli C.I.D 999 (1968),
Operation Jackpot C.I.D 999 (1969) and Operation Diamond Racket (1978). Apart
from Rajkumar, the director duo directed many movies with actors Ananth Nag
and Lakshmi. They have directed 30 films with Rajkumar as the hero. The duo has
won Puttanna Kanagal Award from State Government of Karnataka for the year
1995–96.
1980s and 1990s.
The 80's saw the emergence of V. Ravichandran, Shivarajkumar and Ramesh
Aravind as top heroes, with a good number of family oriented films made during
this period. Rajendra Singh Babu, D. Rajendra Babu, V. Somashekhar, Sai Prakash
and M.S Rajshekhar are some of the best directors of this era. H. R. Bhargava
directed numerous popular Kannada movies during this period.
Ravichandran and Hamsalekha successfully created a blend exclusively for youth.
Son of the well known movie producer late N Veeraswamy, Ravichandran is a
multifaceted artist who has shown his skill in acting, direction, production and
music direction. He debuted as an actor in Khadeema Kallaru , a movie which he
produced in 1982. His first role as the hero was in 1984 in Nane Raja. In 1987 he
26
directed and acted in Premaloka, considered a landmark film in kannada on
account of its music and treatment. His movie Ramachari was a monster hit in
1991 that cemented his position as a star. He has shifted to mature roles in the
last few years and his recent movie Drishya (2014) was a major box office hit that
won critical acclaim as well. His role as the head of a middle class family was
highly appreciated. Ravichandran brought in actresses from other industries. The
same era also marked the beginning of many actresses such as Bhavya,
Mahalaxmi, Sudha Rani, Tara, Malashri, Anjali, Vanitha Vasu, Anjana, and Shruthi.
Shivaraj Kumar, the eldest son of Rajkumar made his debut in 1986 with the hit
movie Anand and followed it up with two more blockbusters in succession –
Rathasapthami (1986) and Mana Mechchida Hudugi (1987). He has completed
almost three decades in the industry and is still going strong with more than 100
movies under his belt.
During late 70s and 80s, two female actors stood out when it came to star power –
Manjula and Malashree. Manjula who formed a hit pair with Rajkumar ( Eradu
Kanasu, Mayura, etc), Vishnuvardhan (Galate Samsara, Guru Shishyaru) and
Srinath (Besuge) had a great fan following. Her roles as an aggressive woman
were much appreciated in 1980s. Malashree shot to fame in 1989 through the
super hit Nanjundi Kalyana and acted in several movies centered around her
character. It is said that at one point in time the only saleable star in Kannada
movies was Malashree. She is married to producer Ramu and is still active in
movies. She plays the role of a female protagonist in most of her movies.
27
S V Rajendra Singh (Babu), Bharghava, Dorai – Bahgawan and Sai Prakash were
some of the popular directors during this time. The new wave parallel cinema
seemed to lose steam during this time and only Girish Kasaravalli was active with
movies such as Aakramana (2014), Muru Darigalu (1981) and Tabarana Kathe
(1987) in the 80s and Mane (1990), Kraurya (1996) and Thayi Saheba (1997) in
the 90s.
New millennium
The industry suffered heavy losses with the demise of superstars Rajkumar and
Vishnuvardhan. The passing of other actors like Tiger Prabhakar, K. S. Ashwath
and Vajramuni also gave a huge setback to the industry.
This decade also saw the emergence of talented artists like Puneeth Rajkumar
(Rajkumar's third son), Upendra, Sudeep, Darshan (son of actor Thoogudeepa
Srinivas), Ganesh, Diganth, Vijay and Yash. Among the female actors, Ramya,
Rakshita, Radhika, Aindrita Ray, Sharmila Mandre, Bhavana, Pooja Gandhi and
Ragini Dwivedi were in the top league starring in many commercial cinema.
Ace director Upendra turned into an actor and acted in many super hit films like A
(1998),
Upendra(1999)
(first
Kannada
movie
to
release
in
Japan),
Buddhivantha(2008), Super(2010) and Katari Veera Surasundarangi(2012) (first
full length 3D film in Kannada).
28
Puneet Rajkumar (youngest son of Rajkumar) is popularly called “Power Star”
and is among one of the top heroes in Kannada. He has acted as a child artist in
more than a dozen movies among which Bettada Hoovu had fetched him a
national award as the best child actor in 1985. He made his debut as a hero with
Appu in 2002 and has been delivering a series of hits ever since that include Abhi
(2003), Milana (2007), Arasu (2007), Prithvi (2010), and Anna Bond (2012) to
name just a few.
Sudeep is a major draw in box office for Kannada movies. He made his debut as a
lead actor4 in the 1999 hit Sparsha and is known for his performances. Other than
acting, he has shown his talent in direction as well, with hit movies such as My
Autograph (2006), Veera Madakari (2009), Mat Matalli (2010) , Kempegowda
(2011) etc. Perhaps he is the only actor from Karnataka who is well known
outside on account of the roles he has played in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil movies.
Darshan, son of yester year character actor, late Toogudeepa Srinivas, is another
hero who commends a large fan following. He is known for action roles and his
role as the hero in the historical movie Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012)
brought him good reviews. The latest in the line of popular stars in Yash whose
recent movies Gajakesari (2014) and Mr & Mrs Ramachari (2014) have done very
good business at the box office.
Child actor Kishan Shrikanth became the youngest director of a professionally
made feature film in the world (Guinness Book of World Records) by directing
C/o Footpath (2006), at the age of 9 years in Kannada which won him the Best
4
As an actor he debuted in the movie Thayavva in 1997
29
Children's Film National Award in 2007, two Karnataka State Awards and 11
International Awards from countries including Italy, Spain, Greece, Egypt, Qatar,
Iran, USA and UK.
Kannada actress Umashree won the Best Actress National Award for the movie
Gulabi Talkies in 2009. The film was also screened at Osian's Cinefan Festival of
Asian and Arab Cinema and won three awards: Best Film in Indian Competition,
Best Actress in Indian Competition (Umashree), and Best Actor in Indian
Competition (Vinay BM).
Kannada cinema celebrated its 75-year anniversary in 2009. A function was held
on the palace grounds in Bangalore on 1 March 2009 under the direction of V.
Ravichandran, featuring a set resembling an open-winged bird. It was attended by
many stars from Kannada cinema as well as actors from other film industries who
had a stint in Kannada films.
In 2010, Vishnuvardhan's final film, Aptharakshaka, created new box office
records. In the same year, Upendra's 2010 film titled Super collected Rs.35 crores
and broke all the records till date, becoming the highest grossing movie of the
year. Darshan's Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, produced by Anand Appugol, is
believed to be the most expensive (30 crore) Kannada film to date, and one of the
highest grossing film (40 crore) in the history of Kannada cinema. The highest
grossing Kannada movie is Mungaru Male, collecting 45 crores in its one year
theatrical run.
Critical reception and Parallel cinema
30
Film directors from the Kannada film industry like Girish Kasaravalli, M.S.Sathyu
have garnered international recognition. Other noted directors include Puttanna
Kanagal, G. V. Iyer, T. S. Nagabharana, P. Sheshadri, Girish Karnad, V.
Ravichandran Yogaraj Bhat, Soori, Guruprasad and Upendra who has earned 14th
place in world popular director list Whopopular.com.
Some influential Kannada films include Samskara (1970) (based on a novel by U.
R. Ananthamurthy), Vamshavruksha (1971), Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu (1974),
Chomana Dudi (1975), Hamsageethe (1975), Ghatashraddha (1977), Kaadu
Kudure (1979), Bara (1979), Maanasa Sarovara (1982), Accident (1985),
Tabarana Kathe (1987), Kraurya (1996), Thaayi Saheba (1997), Mane (2000) and
Dweepa (2002)
Following is the list of major national awards won by Kannada cinema
Year
CATEGORY : BEST FILM ( PRESIDENT’S GOLDEN LOTUS)
Film
Director
1970
Samskara
T Pattabhiramareddy
1975
Chomana Dudi
B V Karanth
1977
Ghatashraddha
Girish Kasaravalli
1986
Tabarana Kathe
Girish Kasaravalli
1997
Thayi Saheba
Girish Kasaravalli
2000
Dweepa
Girish Kasaravalli
1973
Kaadu* (2nd best – Silver)
Girish Karnad
Year
1979
CATEGORY : BEST CHILDREN FILM
Film
Director
Dangeyedda Makkalu
U S Vadiraj
31
1989
Jambu Sawari
Lalitha Ravi
CATEGORY : BEST DIRECTOR
Film
Director
Year
1971
Vamshavriksha
B V Karanth & Girish Karnad
1976
Pallavi
P Lankesh
CATEGORY : BEST ACTOR (MALE)
Film
Actor
Year
1975
Chomana Dudi
M V Vasudeva Rao
1986
Tabarana Kathe
Charuhasan
2014
Naanu Avanalla Avalu
Sanchari Vijay
CATEGORY : BEST ACTOR (FEMALE)
Film
Director
Year
1973
Kaadu
Nandini Bhaktavatsala
2005
Hasina
Tara
2008
Gulabi Talkies
Umashree
CATEGORY : BEST CHILD ACTOR
Film
Actor
Year
1973
Kaadu
G S Nataraj
1977
Ghatashraddha
Ajith Kumar
1985
Bettada Huvu
Punith Rajkumar
1994
Kotreshi Kanasu
Vijaya Raghavendra
1995
Kraurya
Master Vishwas
Year
CATEGORY : BEST SINGER & MUSIC DIRECTION
Film
Winner
32
1975
Hamsageete
Balamuralikrishna (Singer)
1976
Rishyashringa
B V Karanth (Music)
1977
Ghatashraddha
B V Karanth (Music)
1978
Kadukudure
S. Subbanna (Singer)
1986
Madhvacharya
Malamuralikrishna (Music)
1993
Jeevana Chaitra
Rajkumar (Singer)
1995
Pachakshara Gavayi
S P Balasubramaniam (Singer)
1995
Panchakshara Gavayi
Hamsalekha (Music)
CATEGORY : BEST PHOTOGRAPHER
Film
Director
Year
1976
Rishyashringa
S Ramachandra
1977
Kokila
Balu Mahendra
1981
Mooru Darigalu
Shripad R Bhat
2002
Dweepa
H Ramachandra
SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARDS
Film
Category
Year
1978
Grahana
National Integration
1985
Accident
Social Concern
1987
Pushpaka Vimana
Popular and Entertainment
1989
Santa Shishunala Sharifa
1993
Devara Kadu
Environmental Concern
1997
Bhoomi Geetha
Environmental Concern
2000
Munnudi
Social Concern
2005
Haseena
Family Planning
2007
Kallarali Hoovagi
Year
1986
OTHER CATEGORY AWARDS
Film
Winner
Madhvacharya
P Krishnamurthy for costume design
33
1991
Mysore Mallige
K S Narasimhaswamy for song (lyrics)
1997
Thayisaheba
Jayamala Acting (special award)
1997
Thayisaheba
Ramesh Desia for Art Direction
1997
Thayi Saheba
Vaishali Kasaravalli for Costume Design
2005
Haseena
Ishrat Nissar for Costume Design
A comparison of National Awards won in major categories across languages
Language
Assamese
Beary
Bengali
English
Hindi
Malayalam
Kannada
Marathi
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Telugu
Tamil
Urdu
Best Film
1
1
22
0
13
11
6
4
0
2
0
2
0
Best
Director
1
0
15
1
8
12
2
1
1
0
0
4
0
Best
Actor(M)
0
0
4
2
21
13
3
3
0
0
0
7
0
Best
Actor(F)
1
0
7
3
20
5
3
2
0
0
3
6
1
34
PART 3
KANNADA CINEMA – ISSUES AND CONCERNS1
The first Kannada movie (talkie) was released in 1934 and it has been 80 years
since then. From a lowly 2 movies per year in the beginning, the industry now
makes about 125 films in a year. It has seen great pioneering efforts from Gubbi
Veeranna, B R Pantulu, D Shankar Singh, R Nagendra Rao to name a few. It had
Rajkumar, an actor par excellence and a star that shone brightly followed by
outstanding performers such as Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Anant Nag, Jayanti,
Bharati, Aarati and many more. Its contribution to parallel cinema has been
significant with Girish Kasaravalli leading the brigade that constitutes of G V Iyer,
B V Karanth, Girish Karnad and so forth. Directors like Puttanna Kanagal and
Siddalingayya demonstrated that they are second to none when it comes to the
craft of film making.
However, even after 80 years, the industry seems to be still in the struggling
stage. A report on film industry in India mentions that there is a resurgence of
regional cinema in India, which has been attracting investments from major film
studios to tap potential of these markets. However, Kannada cinema is not
getting this benefit as the growth seems to be happening in Marathi, Bengali,
The content in this section draws from many secondary sources and primary sources from the
following five film personalities who were interviewed by the author –
 Mr. Thomas D’Souza, President, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce,
 Mr.B M Harish, Hon.Secretary, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce,
 Mr. K C N Chandru, Film Producer and Distributor
 Mr. N M Kumar, Film Producer and Exhibitor
 Mr. S V Rajendra Singh Babu, Producer, Director and Chairman, Karnataka Chalanachitra
Academy.
1
35
Punjabi and Bhojpuri Cinema2. Certain issues such as dominance of non-Kannada
movies in the state, financing & distribution problems, that that plagued the
industry 80 years ago, continue to plague the industry even now. In addition
there are newer issues. Firstly, the revenue windows for movies have shortened
drastically and the fate of any movie is decided in the first 3 days. This puts
tremendous challenge on the producers on leveraging on multiple source of
revenues in a short time. Secondly, with more than 800 television channels
offering a variety of content to more than 100 million pay – TV households3, the
industry has the challenge of luring consumers to theatres from their cozy living
rooms. Thirdly, the cost of movie making itself has skyrocketed with high star
remunerations and high input costs in all other aspects of movie making. Fourth,
with technology accessible to everyone cheaply, the issue of piracy is a challenge
that the industry is struggling with. Fifth, the movie makers are faced with the
challenge of adapting to the ever changing consumer tastes and preferences.
Sixth, Kannada cinema still depends on the shrinking number of single screens
and has not exploited the potential of the new distribution channel called
multiplexes. The following section highlights the issues currently being faced by
the Kannada movie industry.
1. The Issue of Kannada Identity
Noted movie maker KCN Chandru feels that people of Karnataka do not have one
“Kannada Identity”. Hence they do not patronize Kannada movies as much as
“Film Industry in India : New Horizons”, Ernst & Young Report, www.indiabusiness.nic.in accessed
on 16th August 2015
3 “Film Industry in India – New Horizons” Ernst & Young Report, www.indiabusiness.nic.in accessed
on 15th August 2015
2
36
Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam people patronizing their own language movies. As
the number of people watching Kannada movies is lower, producers have severe
limitations on spending lavishly on star cast, location etc. As a result of this, the
quality of Kannada movies pales in comparison to Hindi and other south Indian
language movies.
However, there seems to be some merit in the lack of Kannada identity argument
especially when it comes to movies. Karnataka can be broadly said to consist of
four distinct geographical regions as applicable to the movie industry.

Mysore Karnataka
Consisting of the erstwhile Mysore province. This includes the southern,
south central and south-eastern districts of Karnataka. The language
mostly spoken is Kannada, and in some border districts Tamil and Telugu
dominate.

Mumbai Karnataka
Consisting of the districts that fell under the erstwhile Mumbai
presidency under British rule. This includes the north western districts
such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot, Vijayapura etc. Kannada is
spoken extensively but a significant Marathi and Urdu speaking
population exists. Hindi is generally spoken and understood by the
majority.
37

Hyderabad Karnataka
Mainly made up of the erstwhile Nizam province. This area includes
districts such as Raichur, Bellary, Bidar and Kalaburgi which are towards
the north eastern part of Karnataka. Kannada is spoken but Urdu and
Hindi are spoken extensively

Coastal Karnataka
Consists mainly of Udupi, South Kanara and North Kanara districts which
were earlier part of the Madras presidency. All people speak Kannada but
local languages such as Tulu and Konkani dominate here. Tulu movies are
patronized extensively.
These geographical zones within Karnataka exhibit significant diversity. The
people belonging to these regions not only have different mother tongues (Tulu,
Konkani, Kodava etc) but they also do not speak the same Kannada. For example
the Kannada spoken in northern Karnataka has its own accent and contains lot of
words from Marathi and Hindi. The people are culturally very different and there
is variation in everything from their eating habits to the way they dress. Their
customs are also different. This in fact poses quite a few challenges to movie
makers in Kannada. First of all, there is no guarantee that the theme liked by one
region would be liked by others. Secondly, the subtlety and the metaphors used
in language is not understood by all. For example, an award winning movie
38
“Ondanondu Kaladalli” made by noted director Girish Karnad, did not run much
in southern parts of Karnataka as the movie was made with Kannada spoken in
northern Karnataka.
One outcome of the diversity within the state is that it is difficult for all people to
imagine a holistic all-inclusive Kannada identity. Perhaps this is the reason why
Kannada people create an impression that they lack pride in being Kannada
people. They perhaps do not attach very strongly to Kannada language and
culture. The detachment may lead to ignorance and negative perception as well.
Chetan Nadiger4 feels that many people believe that Kannada movies are no good
as compared to movies being made in other languages. Their opinion seems to
stem from pre-conceived notions rather than actual experiences as a majority
these people would have not watched Kannada movies in years. He argues that
an industry that makes more than 120 movies in a year must be knowing the
business well.
While what is said above is a testimony to detachment, there are issues with
Kannada people from the border districts. M N Kumar says people from the
border districts such as C R Nagar, Belagavi, Bidar, Raichur, Bellary,
Chikkaballapur and Kolar do not habitually watch Kannada movies. There is a
significant non-Kannada population in these areas which prefers to watch nonKannada movies which are exhibited extensively in these districts. Needless to
say, they lure Kannada audience as well.
4
Udayavani, Kalavihara section, 7th August 2015
39
2. The Issue of Limited Market
Mr. Kumar N M and K C N Chandru, both well known producers and exhibitors
feel Kannada movies simply can not match other language movies in their budget
as the market is limited. There seems to be some merit in this argument. Hindi
movies have a national plus international markets and hence can spend more
than Rs. 50 - 60 crores on a movie. For example, the 2014 Aamir Khan starrer
PK, dubbed into Chinese collected more than Rs.100 crore in China alone.5Tamil
movies too have markets outside India in south Asian markets such as Malaysia,
Singapore and Sri Lanka. Telugu movies are screened in the USA. Moreover the
population of undivided Andhra and Tamil Nadu is significantly higher than
Karnataka and, the movie watching habits in these states is higher than in
Karnataka. However, there are people in the industry who believe this is not a
major issue. For example, noted Kannada movie producer Rockline Venkatesh,
on the other hand, feels that if you make a good movie it is possible to lure
people into theatres6. Supporting this argument in a newspaper article,7 Jogi
cites the stupendous success of the Telugu movie Bahubali which collected Rs. 9
lakhs in 4 days in a small place called Madhugiri with just 28000 population. This
was in spite of the ticket rates being raised during the exhibition of this movie.
Jogi goes ahead and says that if only one third of the people in Kannada watch a
movie, the collection within Karanataka itself will be around Rs.200 crores.
“Passage to India” by Ananth Krsihnan, India Today July 13, 2015
Udayavani July 2015.
7 Udayavani , 17th July 2015
5
6
40
More than this, the problem seems to be that the Kannada movie industry has
not been able to expand the market in the last few decades. In fact, it seems to
have shrunk8 as compared to earlier years. S V Rajendra Singh Babu, a very
experienced movie producer and director, says that in late 1940s and early 50s
Kannada movies were being screened in a significant number of theatres of
border districts of neighboring states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The trend seems to have not only vanished but reversed in recent times, with
border districts of Karnataka exhibiting more and more of other language movies
and less of Kannada movies.
3. Lack of Movie Making Ecosystem
Movie making infrastructure in Karnataka has not developed much in the last
few decades. The existing studios seem to lack all the facilities required to shoot
movies. One reason for the lack of development of facilities can be attributed to
the absence of entrepreneurial initiative by media and entertainment industry
persons towards developing infrastructure. The neighboring states have set good
examples. In Telugu industry, veteran actors such as. N T Rama Rao, A.
Nageswar Rao, Krishna have all invested in studios and movie production.9 The
crowning glory is the famed Ramoji film city built by Ramoji Rao. In Tamil movie
industry, actors such as Sivaji Ganesan invested in theatres. In Kannada, such
efforts have been relatively less. Though personalities such as Balakrishna and
Abbayi Nayudu did make efforts to set up studios in Karnataka, success eluded
Relative to the increase in population. Population of Karnataka in 1970s was estimated to be 30
million while it is about 60 million in 2015. The increase in the number of kannada movie watchers
may not have increased proportionately.
9 Ramakrishna Studios, Annapoorna Studios and Padmalaya Pictures.
8
41
them which may have acted as a deterrent to others. Producer K C N Chandru
feels that Karnataka simply does not have the right ecosystem for making
movies. Other than the problems of studios, he points to high level of
bureaucracy to get permission to shoot movies in out door locations.
Film maker S V Rajendra Singh and Thomas D’souza 10 feel that good film
institutes can contribute a lot towards improving quality of films. They are of the
opinion that Karnataka needs something like FTII11. Though Karnataka has a film
institute in Bangalore called Adarsh Film & TV Institute (AFTI), the scope of this
institute is limited to Acting, Direction, Playback singing, Editing and
Cinematography. On the other hand, FTII has a wide range of diploma and
graduate programmes in various facets of film making such as direction,
screenplay, acting, cinematography, sound recording, sound design, editing, art
direction and production design. FTII boasts of illustrious alumni such as
Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Jaya Bachchan (all in acting), Adoor
Goplakrishnan, Girish Kasaravalli, Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Leela Bansali (in
direction) and Rasool Pookutti (technical) who have made it big at national and
international levels. It is unfortunate that Adarsh Film & TV Institute is not in a
position to demonstrate such a track record. Thomas D’Souza is of the opinion
that AFTI is short of resources and quality inputs which impacts the output. Film
Institutes other than FTII have generally not fared well in India. However with
the advent of private entrepreneurship in this arena, things seem to be
improving. Some noteworthy examples are “Whistling Woods” film institute set
10
11
President, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce
Film and Television Institute of India located in Pune.
42
up by well known Bollywood director Subash Ghai (another FTII alumnus) and L
V Prasad Film and TV academies in Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and
Hyderabad.
Kannada movie industry has also not been able to collaborate with International
studios, which have been showing increased interest in India. Studios such as
Warner Bros, Disney, Fox and Dreamworks have tied up with local production
houses UTV and Viacom18. International collaborations can help the local film
makers to leverage the experience of the big studios in increasing the reach,
controlling the cost and planning the projects efficiently12.
Unlike Hindi and other language movies, which are funded by professional
financial institutions, Kannada movies still depend largely on private finance.
This impacts adversely in multiple dimensions. Firstly, private finance is costly
as compared to banks and hence the risk on the producer is very high when
money is borrowed from private financiers. Secondly, private financiers may
want to bring in their perceived expertise into the movies that they have made in
the form of recommendations and influences. This curbs the creative freedom
and flexibility that the movie makers would like to have. Though cinema is now
recognized as an industry, and finance is available from professional bodies,
Kannada cinema, rather than exploiting this, seems to have abused this. S V
Rajendra Singh Babu feels that banks are hesitant to finance Kannada movies
because the loan repayment track record is not good. Same is the scenario with
“Film Industry in India : New Horizons” , Ernst & Young Report, www.indiabusiness.nic.in accessed
on 16th August 2015
12
43
TV channels, which is a potential revenue earner for movies. Producers can sell
TV broadcasting rights at good prices but it appears that the channels are
cautious with Kannada movies. Producer – director Sheshadri, who has made
several successful movies, points out that the channels did support producers
earlier and there were instances where payment was made for TV rights even
while the movie was under production. However, most of these movies never got
completed and this made them stay away from Kannada movies.13
4. Shortage of Theatres in Karnataka
There are about 10500 single screen cinemas and 900 multiplexes in India.
These numbers are considered miniscule for a country with a population of over
1300 million people. There are just 10 screens per million people in India as
compared to USA, which boasts of 120 screens per million people.14 In the
recent times, there has been a significant growth in multiplexes and all the major
players such as PVR, Cinepolis, Inox have big expansion plans for multiplexes.
Around 60% of the screens in India are located in South India which is still
largely dominated by single screens. Among the south Indian states Andhra
Pradesh has about 2800 single screens while Tamil Nadu has 1546. Kerala ranks
next with 1015 single screens. Karnataka lags behind with 959 single screens. 15
Bengaluru has the largest share of 150 single screens out of this number.
Sudha kannada weekly, 16th July 2015
Anand J, “Show Time”, Business Today, 13th May 2012
15 Website of Film Federation of India accessed on 10 th August 2015. However, S V Rajendra Singh
Babu is of the opinion that many out of this are dysfunctional and pegs the number around 700.
13
14
44
It may be argued that in proportion to the movies produced in Kannada
compared to Tamil and Telugu, the number of theatres in Karnataka should be
adequate. However this does not seem to be the case as the penetration of nonKannada movies has been very deep in Karnataka. Out of the 950 theatres, it is
estimated that about 300 – 350 theatres exhibit non-Kannada movies at any
given point in time. In fact, the recent Telugu block buster movie Bahubali was
released in as many as 250 theatres across Karanataka16. While Bangalore has
always been a good market for non-Kannada movies, Telugu and Tamil movies
were hardly screened in north Karnataka two decades ago. But now Dharwad, a
small town in north Karnataka which has 6 single screens in total, was showing
Bahubali in three theatres.
Producer M N Kumar feels that the theatres in Karnataka show non-Kannada
movies because there are not enough Kannada movies available. He points that
popular actors having “pull factor” such as Puneet Rajkumar, Sudeep, Darshan,
Yash and Shivaraj Kumar are very choosy and act in very few movies and this
creates shortage of Kannada movies that guarantee viewership.
Apart from increase in the share of non-Kannada movies in theatres, there also is
the problem of single screens shutting down due to economic non-viability. A
decade ago the number of single screen in India was 13700 and now it has
shrunk to 10500. While some have converted to multiplexes, or malls or wedding
halls, many have shut down. Multiplexes, growth of television and widespread
Bahubali was simultaneously released in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages. All these versions
were released in Karnataka.
16
45
availability of DVDs and movies on smart phones and You Tube are cited to be
among the factors behind the decline of single screens.17
Karnataka is not spared from this problem. Many single screens have shut shop
not only in Bangalore but also in places such as Mysore, Hubli, Dharwad, etc.
Decades ago there used to be mobile theatres called “Touring Talkies” which
went from place to place to exhibit movies. They mainly operated in smaller
places catering to the rural folk. At one point in time there were as many as 600
mobile theatres operating in Karnataka and a majority of them were exhibiting
Kannada movies. These have been closed down on account of Government
regulations to compulsorily move towards permanent theatres.
Another major problem for Kannada movies is they are not able to secure
screening in high-end theatres given the high rents for these theatres. The
producers of cash strapped Kannada movies would like the theatres to exhibit
movies on percentage basis but the owners are not ready for this since the other
language movies are ready for rental agreements.
5. Poor Condition of Theatres
Today movie watching is not just functional. People go to theatres for an overall
good experience. For them, entertainment is not just the content of the movie but
includes the end-to-end experience. In large cities, especially metros, people
travel long distance wading through bad traffic to reach movie halls and they
Website of National Business accessed on 10th August 2015. ‘Tax & multiplexes make India’s ingle
screen cinemas unviable” by Rebecca Bundhun, 3rd May, 2014
17
46
expect good parking space, courteous box office personnel, good seats, clean
ambience, fresh snacks and air conditioning that works. Though the viewer
segments that watch movies in multiplexes and single screens is different, a
majority of the single screen audience have watched movies in multiplexes at
least a couple of times. This sets their expectations in terms of theatre facilities
and even though they may not expect multiplex type facilities in single screens,
their tolerance to sub optimal facilities seems to have come down drastically.
The result is that they would rather avoid theatres, which they perceive as
lacking in facilities. When Kannada movies are shown in such theatres, they
would rather not watch the movies.
Audience today, have better alternatives to watching movies in poorly
maintained theatres. The experience of viewing movies and TV programs at
home is enriched on account of high definition telecasting by many channels. 3D
TVs are making inroads into the living rooms of upper middle class families. The
time between theatrical release and TV premiers is getting shortened by the day
and people do not mind waiting for the movie to be on TV.
6. Issue of Legislation on Multiplexes
In April 2015, the State government has issued a diktat to the various
multiplexes to ensure prime time screening of Kannada movies and to make
tickets more affordable to the viewers. The Chief Minister of the state held a
meeting where he said that he had directed multiplexes to give primacy to
Kannada films. Many industry representatives including actors Jaggesh and
Jayamala and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Chairperson S V Rajendra Singh
47
contended that multiplexes were neglecting Kannada movies. They said that the
ticket prices were exorbitant and therefore Kannada people were not watching
the movies in multiplexes. Multiplex owners on the other hand denied this by
claiming that they had not priced the tickets over Rs.130. They pointed out that
most of the Kannada movies do not do well as a result of which they have to cut
short the screening hours. Exceptions to this have been hit movies like Mungaru
Male and Ranna that were screened for maximum hours in multiplexes.
Multiplexes seem to be apprehensive of allotting prime time slots for Kannada
movies due to low returns. Their investment and operating costs being high, they
would want to allot prime time to movies that people watch in large numbers.
In Karnataka a large number of multiplexes are coming up especially in
Bengaluru. The multiplexes are managed professionally and they pay their dues
to the government fairly and in time. Hence the government may not want to
restrict the multiplexes in terms of mandating exhibition of Kannada movies,
timing of exhibitions and the admission rates. On the other hand, S V Rajendra
Singh Babu feels that there should be some compulsion on part of the
multiplexes to show Kannada movies and also to charge lower admission rates to
viewers of Kannada movies. The admission rates for the first two rows in
multiplexes in Tamil Nadu is pegged at Rs.10 and in Maharashtra state there is a
compulsion on part of multiplexes to exhibit Marathi movies18. Compared to this,
Kannada cinema seems to be at a disadvantage with regard to multiplexes.
18
“Sudha” kannada weekly , 16th July 2015
48
7. High Cost of Making Movies
At present, it costs on an average about Rs. 4 crores to make a Kannada movie
and about 120-150 movies are made every year. This works out to an investment
of about Rs.500 crores every year. According to Karnataka Film Chamber of
Commerce (KFCC), only a handful of these recover costs, while most of the others
incur losses19. The market size for Kannada movies was estimated to be around
Rs. 200 crores only in 200820. Factoring in inflation, increased ticket prices and
possible increase of revenue due to increased viewership, the current (2014)
would be around 300 crores21. This shows that the Kannada movie industry is
making losses to the tune of Rs.200 crores every year. Hence compared to the
revenue side, the cost of making movies in Kannada is high. It is highly doubtful
whether an industry, which depends largely on private finance and is just 2% in
revenues among south Indian movies can sustain this trend.
According to industry experts, the main reason for this is not inflation but
inefficiencies in movie making. If a Telugu or a Malayalam movie is completed in
4-5 months time, Kannada movies apparently take 2 more months. Producer and
exhibitor N M Kumar says that there is too much of wastage on account of too
much shooting and this makes the cycle time longer for Kannada movies. He
attributes this to tentativeness among directors who are new and do not have
the right experience. While they are passionate about making movies ,they do
not have the adequate training. The tradition of “apprenticeship” under well
known directors, seems to have vanished from the industry.
This was corroborated by Thomas D’Souza, President, KFCC. In addition various websites listed
only about a dozen kannada movies as hits during the period 2010 – 2015.
20 www.indiantelevision.com accessed on 15th August 2015
21 authors estimate
19
49
8. Issue of Dubbing Movies into Kannada
Perhaps Karnataka is the only state where dubbing from other languages into
Kannada is not allowed. Movies, television serials and all other visual
entertainment contents in other languages, are not allowed to be dubbed into
Kannada. This ban has been in force for more than 50 years. The ban has no legal
sanctity and has been enforced by private bodies such as Karnataka Film
Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and other similar organizations. This was done six
decades ago in order to give boost to the then ailing Kannada film industry under
the aegis of the legendary actor Rajkumar. This indeed has helped the industry to
scale from 10 movies a year to more than 100 movies a year now. However the
ban still continues which according to legal experts, is unconstitutional. Indian
Constitution allows freedom of expression and free movement of people and
languages within the country. No state can discriminate against the other
languages. Even though the ban on dubbing is unofficial, it works almost like a
government imposed ban.
Opinion seems to be divided on the issue of dubbing movies into Kannada
language. Film and entertainment industry people, especially the actors and
directors, feel that it will impact the industry adversely and destroy the local
industry. The fear seems to be that if dubbing is allowed hundreds of English,
Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and other language movies will flood the market
and eventually kill Kannada film industry. As it is the industry is facing severe
competition from other language movies and if these movies are dubbed into
50
Kannada, even the people watching Kannada movies will shift to movies dubbed
into Kannada language.
On the other hand, persons in favour of dubbing argue that it will enable the
habit of watching movies in Kannada, thereby increasing receptivity to movies
made in Kannada. Dubbing can also expose exclusive Kannada audience to good
movies from other languages thereby refining their tastes. This in turn, would
make the Kannada film industry to seek better stories, good production values
and suitable star cast. Many in the industry believe that there is a section of
producers who want the dubbing ban to be lifted and there are some who even
seem to have already purchased dubbing rights of some non-Kannada movies.
However, at present no one is crossing the implicit “no dubbing” diktat22.
Noted Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind is of the opinion that instead of trying to
stop others through restrictions, it would be better to strengthen our practices.
However, he points that in other states, there are indirect tactics of preventing
dubbing such as higher tax rates for dubbed movies etc. He feels that such tactics
enable only extraordinary movies to be dubbed.23 A very well known Director
points that in many countries outside India (such as in China and France), it is
mandatory to exhibit foreign movies only after they have been dubbed into local
language. However, the audience in these countries predominantly speak in local
language with hardly any knowledge of foreign languages. Hence it only makes
sense to dub foreign language movies. On the other hand, the audience in
22
23
Sudha kannada weekly, 16th July 2015
Udayavani, Manipal Edition, 30th July 2015
51
Karnataka have some amount of familiarity with other south Indian languages
and Hindi and hence are likely to be comfortable watching movies in these
languages. Moreover, all South Indian languages come from the common stock of
Dravidian languages. It is therefore relatively easier for a South Indian to
understand another Dravidian language as compared to a Chinese trying to
understand a foreign language. Anyway, dubbing movies into Kannada has been
and continues to be a sensitive issue. Strong, diverse opinions exist among major
stakeholders such as actors, producers, distributors, directors and exhibitors. On
top of this, the issue of dubbing has been much politicized. A major protest has
been planned on 26th August 2015 in Bengaluru where more than one lakh
people are expected to participate.24
9. Issue of the Star System
While movies can attract audience through genre25, narrative or production
values, it is the stars that initially pull the crowd into the theatres. In the
language of the cinema trade stars are supposed to ensure minimum
guarantee26. This is an universal phenomena observed without exception in
Hollywood, Bollywood, and in south Indian cinema. In Kannada cinema,
Rajkumar had tremendous crowd pulling ability which is unmatched till today.
Others such as Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Anant Nag, Shankar Nag, Sreenath,
Ravichandran and Upendra have had their own fan following. In the current
times Ramesh, Shivaraj Kumar, Sudeep, Puneeth Rajkumar, Darshan and Yash
are considered to be stars with good brand name and crowd pulling ability.
Udayavani, 9th August 2015, Manipal Edition.
A particular type of story – for example horror is a genre
26 An assured minimum revenue during the initial days of the release on account of fans who watch
a particular star’s movie irrespective of reviews.
24
25
52
However, the star system comes with its own baggage. First of all, the cost of the
movie shoots up when a star is signed on and hence not everyone can afford to
have stars in their movies. This suits the stars as well because they are choosy
and would like to avoid over exposure. The major stars in Kannada cinema
restrict themselves to 1-2 movies per year and that adds up to about 10 movies
per year. This leaves out 90% of the movies and they need to struggle to secure
attention. M N Kumar says that there are no takers for these movies and hence
exhibitors prefer non-Kannada movies. Karnataka has always welcomed movies
from other languages and popular stars from Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and
Malayalam have enjoyed good fan following in the state. Another dis-advantage
of the start system has been that stars have their own preferences in terms of
certain crew members and the manner in which the movie needs to take shape.
With inexperienced directors holding the baton, it becomes easy for the stars to
dominate the movie making process. A well-known producer says that while
Tamil and Telugu stars wait for the directors to summon them, the situation is
reverse in Karnataka with the directors doting on stars.
10. Unethical Practices at Theatres
The State Government has given tax holiday for Kannada movies while nonKannada movies are levied a tax of 30%. This was done with an intention of
making Kannada movies popular through lower ticket pricing. However, this
does not seem to be yielding the intended results. Audience do not seem to mind
watching non – Kannada movies even though they need to pay a higher price for
admission. Even at a lower ticket pricing audience do not seem to think Kannada
movies are worth watching. In market where the customers have several
53
alternatives (other language movies) available to them and each product is
perceived differently by them in terms of its features27, customers will make
choices that will maximize their utility28. Moreover, as the non-Kannada movies
are released in good theatres, customers may not mind paying a higher price for
admission.
S V Rajendra Singh Babu says that the tax-free facility given to Kannada cinema is
being exploited by single screens who show non-Kannada movies and charge
higher admission rates (as 30% sales tax). On records, these movies are shown
as Kannada movies and taxes are not paid to the Government. This he says is one
of the main reasons for single screens prefer to show non-Kannada movies. On
the other hand, M N Kumar thinks otherwise. He feels while a handful of theatres
could be doing this, a majority of the theatres in Karnataka are owned by
Kannadigas29 and they would any day prefer showing Kannada movies. The
problem according to Kumar is that there are not enough sustainable Kannada
movies to screen. He also points to the practice of producer – distributors
demanding high advance payments from theatre owners, which is making the
theatre owners turn away from Kannada movies.
At the same time, Kumar also points to the practice of hiking the ticket prices
when new, much awaited blockbuster movies are released. Theatres want to
take advantage of the demand and charge premium for the admission. There are
instances where ticket prices go as high as Rs.1000. When viewers from middle
In the context of movies, features would mean star cast, story, reviews, production values, music
etc.
28 Similarly utility in the context of movies would mean entertainment value and the overall
experience.
29 Kannada people – people of Kannada Origin
27
54
class pay such high prices to watch one movie, they may not be in a position to
spend money on watching another movie in that month.
11. Issue of Quality & Originality
There is a perception that Kannada cinema lacks originality and is of lower
quality as compared to its counterparts across the state borders. There is some
support to this argument as Kannada cinema seems to borrow heavily from
other languages. S V Rajendra Singh Babu says that 20 – 25 % of the movies
made in Kannada are remakes of hits from other languages. The tradition of
remakes is not new to the Indian film industry. There have been remakes from
Hindi into regional languages and visa versa. Drishyam, a recent Malayalam
blockbuster has been made into Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Same was the
case with Tamil hit Sooryavansham a few years ago. In the 1970s hit Kannada
movies such as Nagarahavu, Bhootayyana Maga Aiyyu and Shankar Guru were
remade in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. However, in recent times more number of
other language movies is being made in Kannada with stray cases of Kannada
movies being made in other languages. Most of the 48 movies produced by
Dwarakeesh were remakes. Earlier stars such as Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh
did not have qualms about acting in remakes. In fact for some stars, the biggest
hits of their career have been remakes. Among the current stars Sudeep,
Darshan, Puneet Rajkumar and Upendra have all acted in remake movies. The
main attraction for remaking hit movies is that it has a formula that has already
succeeded. In addition to this, for cash strapped industry, remakes are a way of
cutting down developmental costs in movie making. However, many remake
movies have failed either because they have been watched by many in their
55
original version, or they have been remade badly. The themes of many remake
movies are alien to Kannada culture and the makers do not seem to take
cognizance of this. There are instances where the original has been copied frameto-frame, dialogue-to-dialogue and song-to-song without any effort being made
to localize them.
12. Channel Conflict
Movie making is considered as a creative process. It may begin as an idea, an
ideal, or a thin story line. Yesteryear actor Dev Anand, in his autobiography30
writes that he read R K Narayan’s novel “The Guide” in one sitting and decided to
make it into a movie. Without losing a moments time he seems to have made an
overseas call to the author to convey his intent. About the all time blockbuster
Hindi movie Sholay it is said that it began with a two-line story of a retired army
officer taking the help of two crooks to nab a notorious dacoit. However, to set
the movie making process in motion, the first requirement is someone with
money to produce the movie. This person may come with his own money or
borrow the money from the market. The Director then takes charge to mobilize
other resources (technical crew and star cast) and actually creates a product.
The product (movie) is sold to distributors and from there on it goes to
exhibitors (theatres) for consumption by the audience (consumer). Hence the
value chain for movies can be depicted as below -
30
“Romancing with Life”, 2007, Penguin India
56
Financier
Producer
Distributor
Exhibitor
Consumer
There is interdependency among entities shown above and for an efficient
delivery from the point of origin to the point of consumption, it is necessary that
there is trust and commitment between parties. Unfortunately, this seems to be
lacking in Kannada film industry. Producers seem to be unhappy with the kind of
power that the financiers wield and the demand of distributors. On the other
hand, distributors and exhibitors seem to be in a tussle. The producers,
distributors and exhibitors blame the consumer for lacking in “Kannada Pride”
and not patronizing Kannada movies and the audience blames the poor quality of
movies. By and large, none of the entities are content with the way things are and
this probably acts as a deterrent to creativity, innovation and experimentation
that is badly required in the industry at present times.
13. Unattractiveness of the Industry
An industry becomes attractive investors when all the conditions are conducive
57
for them. An investor would not want the industry to be such that anyone can
enter and leave it as and when they wish. This increases competition and
reduces seriousness. An investor also would like to be in an industry where
consumers do not have much choice so that he is assured of his business. He
would also like to be comfortable on the supply side with enough power on the
supplier. If we look at the movie industry, it is the producer who invests money
and takes the risk. Hence when we analyze the Kannada movie industry with the
producer as the focal point, the picture that emerges is as follows -
a) Low Entry Barriers
On an average it costs about Rs. 4- 5 crores to make a Kannada movie.
This is much less as compared to making movies in Hindi, Tamil or
Telugu. The movie industry is glamorous for outsiders and it may attract
people who have enough money to test waters here. Obviously Kannada
movies are less risky than making movies in other languages. The
financing of movie has never been as organized as other industries and
hence money can dubious sources can also flow into this industry easily.
Probably this is the reason for an increase in the number of movies made
in Kannada in spite of a majority of them not doing well.
b) Bargaining Power of Buyer
The primary buyers of the movies are distributors and they seem to enjoy
a lot of bargaining power with lots of choices around. The recent Telugu
blockbuster Bahubali was sold at Rs.18 crores for distribution in
Karnataka in three languages. With such attractive alternatives available
58
to them, distributors are in a powerful position in the industry. The
exhibitors make the other set of buyers. Kannada movies find it hard to
make it to multiplexes and good theatres which shows that the producers
and distributors have hardly any power on them. The third set of buyers
are the audience at the final consumption point. Though they do not
directly transact with the producers, the sheer amount of choice they
have, puts the producers in a defensive position.
c) Bargaining Power of Suppliers
Suppliers to the industry are artistes, technical crew, financiers, and the
infrastructure providers such as studios. Among these, producers do not
seem to have power with two of the most important entities – stars and
financiers. They also do not have bargaining power with studios if the
movie is shot outside Karnataka. Hence the bargaining power of the
suppliers can be deemed high.
d) Threat of Substitutes
Audience today have lot of alternatives when it comes to seeking short
duration entertainment. First of all movie watching can be substituted by
Television viewing which gives a plethora of attractive options in various
categories other than movies – sports, serials, news, lifestyle, music,
adventure etc. Secondly, movie watching in theatre can be substituted by
watching entertaining content on You Tube through internet. Shopping at
malls or watching IPL in stadium can also substitute movies. Hence the
threat of substitutes is also high.
59
e) Threat of Intense Segment Rivalry
If we consider the segment that watches Kannada movies, the same
segment is potential audience for Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil
movies. About 700 movies from these languages collectively compete
with 125 Kannada movies for the share of wallet of audience. Hence
within the segment there is intense rivalry.
60
PART 4
CONSUMER STUDY
Movie making is a creative process and they are made with great passion by the
people involved. The directors and the artistes may be convinced about the
movie ; the critics may praise it skies but it is ultimately the consumer (viewer)
who decides the fate of the movies. They decide its fate in 3 days time and
nothing can super cede their judgment. Exactly 40 years ago, critics panned a
movie by calling it “dead ember” and the audience made that movie, called
Sholay, the biggest blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. Conversely
movies that win truckloads of awards and critical acclaim do not even find a
theatrical release. Whether one likes it or not, businesses must respect consumer
judgment because the “customer is always right”.
It is very difficult to be on top of consumer choices and preferences because they
change. With times, their values, attitudes, beliefs undergo tremendous changes.
This happens due to change in the socio – economic as well as technological
environment. Needless to say, when it comes to cinema, the audience’s tastes and
preferences keep changing. For example, today, the concepts such as live-in
relationship and single parentage are acceptable while audience would have
abhorred them 20 years ago.
Hence, as a part of this project a field study was conducted in the state of
Karnataka to understand the consumer behavior with regard to movie watching.
The major objectives of the study were –
61

To understand the movie watching habits of Kannada speaking people

To understand the perceptions among Kannada speaking movie watchers
on Kannada movies

To gauge the preference of Kannada speaking movie watchers movies in
terms of genres of movies

To assess the non- Kannada movie watching habits of Kannada speaking
movie watchers
The data required for the study was collected through a questionnaire (Annexure
– 1) designed specifically for this purpose. The data was captured across five
locations in Karnataka namely, Bengaluru, Mysore, Hubballi, Kalburgi and
Mangalore. The questionnaires were administered at movie theatres in these
locations. The data was collected from multiplexes as well single screens that
were showing Kannada as well as non-Kannada movies. In total, 514 usable
questionnaires were collected. The split across locations is shown below –
Location
Number of Respondents
Bengaluru
111
Mysore
111
Mangalore
91
Hubballi
100
Kalburgi
101
The data so collected, was tabulated for analysis. Two analysis were carried out
as follows –
1. The first study was done on people who could comfortably converse in
Kannada. There were 341 of them.
2. The second study was on comparing multiplex and single screen viewers.
There were 201 from multiplex and 313 from single screens.
62
In addition to the above, another study was carried out with a different set of
respondents who were post-graduate students. This study was to compare the
preference for mother tongue in life style habits such as movies, music and
reading among south Indian language speakers.
The following section presents analysis of the data which is mainly in terms of
descriptive statistics.
STUDY 1: KANNADA SPEAKING RESPONDENTS
Out of the total 514 respondents, 370 indicated Kannada as their mother tongue.
However, only 303 of them were conversant with Kannada language. On the
other hand, among the people who were not Kannadigas 38 people were
conversant with Kannada language. Hence the total number of people who were
conversant with Kannada language were 341. This analysis pertains to these
respondents who were by and large, a multiplex going crowd. Out of the 341
respondents, about 153 (45%) people said they watched movies mainly in
multiplexes. Out of the remaining, 109 (32%) were single screen watchers. As
many as 79 (23%) people watched movies in both multiplexes and single
screens. It can be seen that close 70% of the movie watchers had multiplex
experience and the trend seems to be growing.
Out of the 341 respondents, 242 (71%) were men and the remaining 99 (29%)
were women. About 60% of them were graduates and 18% had post graduate
degrees. The age wise distribution is as given below
63
Age
16 – 25 year
25 – 40 years
40 – 60 years
Above 60 years
Total
No.
145
135
54
7
341
%
42%
40%
16%
2%
100
It can be seen that 82% are below the age of 40 and 42% are below the age of 25
years. It is important to capture the movie going tastes and preferences of this
group as it represents the population of India of which 60% is within the age
group of 35 years. Secondly movies re are mainly patronized by younger
generations and hence it is important to know them.
When it came to Income, 54% had an income less than Rs. 15000 per month.
This is understandable because the respondent set had a large number of
persons who were below the age of 20 years. This crowd is not likely to be
earning and probably depends on pocket money for their expenditure
The table below shows liking for movies among them and it can be seen that
there are significant number of movie buffs. A high 93% like watching movies
and within that, 40% people really like watching movies. About 70% of the
respondents watched at least 1 movie per month and about 15% watched 2 to 3
movies every month. If we take Karnataka population as 6 crores and consider
about 3 crore people to be under the age of 40, then at least 45 lakh people watch
2-3 movies every week. This works out to about 1 crore movie watchers per
week and 52 crore per year. At a ticket price of Rs. 50 the revenue they generate
is about Rs. 2600 crores. Going by the Kannada movie industry revenue of Rs.
64
350 crores, it can be said that the market share of Kannada movies is less than
15%.
Liking for movies
Really like watching movies
Like watching movies
Neither like nor dislike watching movies
Dislike watching movies
Really dislike watching movies
Total
No.
137
180
21
1
2
341
%
40%
53%
6%
0%
1%
100%
Frequency
Once a year or less
Several times a year
Once a month
2 to 3 times a month
Once a week
2 to 3 times a week
Total
No.
28
77
80
90
50
16
341
%
8%
23%
23%
26%
15%
5%
100%
People like to watch movies in company. About 65% of the respondents said that
they watch movies with friends. Given the lower average age of the respondents,
it is only natural that they watch movies with their friends. About 43% said they
watch movies with family members. As indicated earlier, movie watching is no
longer a functional process of content absorption but an overall experience
which people want to consume with their family and friends. Not many people
watched movies with their colleagues (only 2%) and about 11% of the people
were not very particular about the company. The sample also consisted of 11%
people who watched movies alone. The main reason for watching the movies is
for entertainment value (55% respondents) and Music Dance and Story (44%).
Reviews do not seem to matter much and start cast seems to be a stronger pull
65
than the name of the director. The table below gives the break up for the movie
watching criteria.
Criteria for Watching
Entertainment Value
Popularity based on reviews
Starcast
Music Dance and Story
Director of Movie
Time Pass
No.
189
98
133
149
97
37
%
55%
29%
39%
44%
28%
11%
The most popular genre of movies seem to be action and comedy as indicated in
the table below. However, comedy tops the preference list with more than 89%
preference. It would be therefore, interesting to study the within the comedy
genre, the preference for comedies in the category of spoofs, satires, dark etc.
Action movies are liked by about 70% of the respondents and this can be
explained by the fact that most respondents are young in age and youngsters’
preference for action is well known. While the preference for romance and
family dramas is more or less the same, horror, mythology and crime thrillers do
not seem to be having much takers.
Movie Genre
Really
Dislike
Dislike
Action
Comedy
Crime
Family Drama
Horror
Romance
Historical
Mythological
Suspence
Science Fict
5%
1%
13%
4%
17%
6%
9%
12%
2%
9%
10%
1%
29%
11%
17%
12%
15%
20%
4%
12%
Neither
like or
dislike
11%
5%
16%
15%
9%
12%
16%
17%
5%
10%
Like
Really
Like
47%
41%
22%
40%
30%
42%
34%
28%
29%
40%
23%
48%
12%
22%
17%
22%
19%
15%
15%
21%
66
The entire sample of 341 respondents was made up of persons conversant with
Kannada language and 303 out of this had Kannada as their mother tongue.
While it is heartening to learn that a majority of them frequently watched
Kannada movies (87%), it is may be noted that 61% frequently watched Hindi
movies, 44% watched English movies, 42 % watched Telugu and 27% frequently
watched Tamil movies. This clearly shows that the main competition to Kannada
movies is from these languages which are fighting for the share of Kannada
movie goers’ wallet. The table below gives the split of movie watching habits
across languages.
Language
English
Hindi
Tamil
Telugu
Kannada
Malayalam
Tulu
Marathi
Never
Watch
23%
13%
45%
34%
2%
82%
94%
90%
Rarely
Watch
33%
23%
28%
25%
11%
16%
3%
6%
Frequently
Watch
32%
43%
20%
30%
44%
1%
2%
2%
Always
Watch
12%
21%
7%
12%
43%
1%
1%
1%
The respondents were then asked to rank the movies by their preference for
languages and Kannada scored as the first preference with 55% of the
respondents giving it the first rank. Hindi came next with 33% preferences. The
next in the list were English, Telugu and Tamil in that order. As it can be seen
from the table below, many people did not rank some languages at all.
67
Language
Kannada
English
Hindi
Telugu
Tamil
Marathi
Malayalam
Others
1
55%
13%
18%
6%
5%
0%
1%
0%
2
17%
23%
33%
13%
7%
1%
1%
1%
3
18%
23%
20%
14%
7%
1%
2%
0%
4
5%
10%
10%
27%
10%
2%
2%
2%
Rank Given
5
6
1%
0%
8%
1%
5%
0%
6%
1%
31% 4%
2% 25%
5% 28%
0%
0%
7
0%
1%
0%
0%
1%
5%
0%
0%
8
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
21%
9
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
NIL
5%
21%
14%
31%
35%
64%
62%
75%
1970s is considered as the golden period for Kannada cinema and this belief
seems to exist among the current generation as well. When asked about what do
they think of Kannada movies across the decades, they have responded very
positively towards movies made in 1970s and 1980s. As it can be seen, more
than 60% believe that movies of 70s and 80s were very good. But the perception
about current set of movies made in 2000s and 2010s is rather dis-appointing.
Just about 12% feel that the current movies are good. On the other hand, while
only 1% believes that movies of yester years were bad, about 30% feel that
present movies are bad to very bad.
Decade
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Very
Good
66%
63%
37%
12%
11%
Good
Average
Bad
25%
31%
45%
36%
22%
8%
6%
17%
42%
37%
1%
1%
1%
9%
22%
Very
Bad
0%
0%
0%
1%
8%
It would be interesting to learn whether their response is based on actual
experience or they perceive it this way. We have no data on whether this
generation has watched the movies of 70s and 80s (On TV , You tube etc) and feel
they are better in comparison to the current crop of movies. It is also possible
68
that they have been told that movies were better in 70s and 80s and hence they
believe so. Anyway this generation seems to have clearly identified certain
problems with Kannada movies as shown in the table below.
Problem with Kannada movies
No good story
No quality music
No good actors
No beautiful locations and settings
Poor starcast
Expensive ticket prices at multiplexes
Not released frequently at multiplexes
Very less marketing activities before release
No Originality
Far from Kannada culture
Not as impressive as other language movies
Not lavish and posh
No.
232
87
82
38
69
83
121
71
175
90
61
58
%
68%
26%
24%
11%
20%
24%
35%
21%
51%
26%
18%
17%
An overwhelming majority felt that Kannada movies lack good story (68%) and
originality (51%). This could be on account of a large number of remake movies
being made in Kannada. A significant number of people have expressed concern
over Kannada movies not being screened much in multiplexes and also the high
ticket prices at multiplexes. About 26% have said that Kannada movies are not
reflecting Kannada culture, which again is linked to borrowing ideas from other
languages and the culture of remake in Kannada cinema. Beautiful locations,
settings and lavishness does not seem to be a major concern for them.
Hence, they expect Kannada movies to be primarily have originality (49%) and
avoid remakes. As shown in the table below, originality tops the list of their
expectations and they have ranked remaking of movies into Kannada very low.
Other than originality, they expect good star cast and music.
69
Aspect
Starcast
Music etc
Originality
Price
Multiplex
Remakes
Marketing
Culture
Novels
Rich
Production
1
2
3
16% 29% 21%
19% 23% 18%
49% 18% 13%
3%
6%
5%
2%
8% 11%
1%
4%
7%
4%
9% 10%
11% 15% 11%
7%
7% 15%
9%
13%
11%
4
8%
15%
8%
13%
17%
7%
11%
11%
9%
Rank Given
5
6
10% 5%
7%
5%
3%
2%
12% 9%
14% 11%
4% 10%
15% 14%
15% 11%
9% 10%
7
3%
5%
2%
12%
10%
8%
10%
11%
14%
14%
13%
9%
10%
8
9
10
4%
2%
3%
1%
3%
4%
1%
1%
2%
17% 14% 8%
10% 13% 4%
12% 13% 35%
9% 12% 6%
9%
4%
2%
10% 13% 7%
7%
6%
Finally the respondents were asked what role should the Government play to
ensure better viewership of Kannada movies. An overwhelming 73% have said
that Government should provide more facilities to the industry to make quality
movies. A significant number (43%) feel that government should do something
about ticket prices in multiplexes and ensure more screening of Kannada movies
in multiplexes.
70
10%
STUDY 2: SINGLE SCREENS VS MULTIPLEXES
The survey was conducted to elicit views from respondents regarding movie
watching habits from various cities in Karnataka viz. Bengaluru, Mangaluru,
Mysuru, Hubballi, and Kalburgi. We had 514 respondents taking the survey and
responses were elicited by way of administering a structured questionnaire
through personal interview method. The questionnaires were administered to
respondents in single screens as well as multiplexes and this analysis pertains to
the same.
Out of the total 514 respondents, 354 (69%) were men and the remaining 160
(31%) were women. About 313 (60%) consisting of both men and women were
interviewed in single screens while the remaining 201 (40%) were interviewed
in multiplexes. About 64% of them were graduates and 15% had post graduate
degrees. The age wise distribution is given below
Age
No.
%
16-25 years
221
43%
25-40 years
208
40%
40-60 years
76
15%
Above 60 years
9
2%
Total
541
100
It can be seen that 83% are below the age of 40 years and 43% are below the age
of 25 years. It well represents the population of India of which 60% is within the
age group of 35 years and hence makes great sense to capture the movie going
71
tastes and preferences of this group. Secondly it is our general observation that
movies are mainly patronized by younger generations and hence important to
know them.
In terms of the parameter of ‘income’, 49% of the respondents had an income
less than Rs.15000 per month. This is understandable as the respondent set had
a large number of people below the age of 20 years. This group is unlikely to be
earning and probably depends mainly on money received from their family
members for expenditure.
The table below shows details of mother tongue of all the respondents who were
interviewed for the study and it can be seen that there are a significant number
of respondents (370 nos, 72%) with Kannada as their mother tongue and 64% of
them are well conversant with Kannada language.
Language
Mother Tongue (Nos/%)
Most Conversant (Nos/%)
Gujarati
1 (0%)
0 (0%)
Hindi
13 (3%)
35 (7%)
Kannada
370 (72%)
329 (64%)
Konkani
30 (6%)
13 (3%)
Malayalam
6 (1%)
4 (1%)
Marathi
12 (2%)
3 (1%)
Tamil
23 (4%)
13 (3%)
Telugu
24 (5%)
12 (2%)
Tulu
23 (4%)
23 (4%)
Urdu
7 (1%)
1 (0%)
English
2 (0%)
40 (8%)
Others
3 (1%)
19 (4%)
-
22 (4%)
514
514
Multiple
Total
72
It is expected that this group of respondents who have Kannada as their mother
tongue as well as conversant with the language offer enough insights on various
aspects pertaining to Kannada films. It is also expected that the other
respondents who have mother tongue other than Kannada give in views related
to their movie watching habits and preferences.
On the aspect of the language of the movie watched, Kannada language tops the
list with 75% of respondents watching Kannada movies frequently and always in
single screens and 70% in multiplexes. This is followed by Hindi and English
language movies. It is interesting to note here that more or less an equal
proportion of respondents have been watching Kannada movies both in single
screens and in multiplexes too. In other words, watching Kannada movies is no
more confined to single screens and people do prefer to enjoy it in multiplexes
too. It is also evident that around 90% of the respondents opined that they love
watching movies irrespective of the location.
Frequency of movie
No.
%
Once a year or less
56
11%
Several times a year
119
23%
Once a month
118
23%
2-3 times a month
129
25%
Once a week
67
13%
2-3 times a week
25
5%
Total
514
100
watching
73
129 respondents (25%) watch movies two to three times in a month, be it in a
multiplex or in single screens, while 118 respondents (23%) watch movies at
least once a month in either formats. 92 respondents (18%) are movie buffs with
their frequency of watching movies as high as 2-3 times a week or at least once a
week. Only 56 respondents (11%) said that they watch movies rarely to the
extent of once a year or less. 232 respondents (45%) have been watching movies
predominantly in multiplexes, 171 respondents (33%) have been watching
movies in single screens, while 108 respondents (21%) have been watching
movies in both locations. There is a growing preference for watching movies in
multiplexes from the available options based on the data collected.
The most popular genre of movies seem to be action and comedy, both amongst
respondents who watch movies in single screens and multiplexes as indicated in
the table below. However, comedy tops the preference list with 90% preference
amongst respondents watching movies in single screens and 88% amongst
respondents from multiplexes. It would be better to investigate further, the
preferences within the comedy genre in the category of spoofs, satires, dark etc.
Action movies are liked by about 66% of the respondents watching movies in
single screens and 78% of respondents from Multiplexes and this can be
explained by the fact that most respondents are young in age and youngsters’
preference for action is well known. Historical, Mythological and crime thrillers
do not have much takers.
74
Like (%)
Movie Genre
Single
Screen
Respondents
Multiplex
Respondents
Action
66
78
Comedy
90
88
Crime
36
53
Family Drama
63
52
Horror
48
27
Romance
62
29
Historical
26
32
Mythological
27
25
Suspense
58
58
Science Fiction
28
35
Respondents were asked to rank movies by their preference for languages and
Kannada scored as the first preference both amongst respondents from single
screens (50%) as well as from multiplexes (45%) by giving it first rank. Hindi
came next amongst respondents from single screens with 23% preferences,
while English was ranked two by respondents from multiplexes (27%). The next
in list was English ranked three by respondents from single screen and Hindi
ranked three by respondents from multiplexes.
People like to watch movies in company. About 60% of the respondents
interviewed in single screens said that they watch movies with friends, while it
was 72% for respondents from multiplexes. Lower average age of the
respondents can be one reason for watching movies with their friends. About
75
43% of respondents from single screens said they watch movies with family
members, while it was 38% for respondents from multiplexes. Movie watching is
seen as an overall experience, which people want to have with their family and
friends. Not many people watched movies with their colleagues (only 4% for
respondents from single screens and only 1% for respondents from multiplexes)
and about 10% of respondents from both single screens and multiplexes were
not very particular about the company aspects. The sample also consisted of 9%
of respondents from single screens and 14% of respondents from multiplexes
who watched movies alone.
The main reason for watching the movies is for entertainment value (54%
respondents from both single screens and multiplexes) and Music Dance and
Story (47%). Reviews do not seem to matter much and start cast seems to be a
stronger pull than the name of the director. The table below gives the break up
for the movie watching criteria that includes preferences of respondents, both
from single screens and multiplexes.
Criteria for Watching
No.
%
Entertainment Value
278
54%
Popularity based on reviews
160
31%
Starcast
200
39%
Music Dance and Story
243
47%
Director of Movie
126
25%
Time Pass
73
14%
76
1970s is considered as the golden period for Kannada cinema and this belief
seems to exist among the current generation as well. When asked about what
they think of Kannada movies across the decades, they have responded very
positively towards movies made in 1970s and 1980s. As it can be seen, more
than 70% of respondents from both single screens and multiplexes believe that
movies of 70s and 80s were very good. But the perception about current set of
movies made in 2010s is rather dis-appointing. Just about 12% feel that the
current movies are good. On the other hand, while only 2% believe that movies
of yester years were bad, about 25-30% feel that present movies are bad to very
bad.
Very good & Good category
Decade
Single
Screen
Respondents
Multiplex
Respondents
Bad & Very Bad category
Single
Screen
Respondents
Multiplex
Respondents
1970s
71%
66%
0%
1%
1980s
74%
75%
0%
1%
1990s
66%
66%
2%
2%
2000s
43%
42%
13%
6%
2010s
28%
30%
31%
22%
It would be interesting to find out whether the above response is based on actual
experience or their perception based on various sources. We have no data on
whether this generation has watched the movies of 70s and 80s (On TV, You tube
etc.) and feel they are better in comparison to the current crop of movies. It is
also possible that they have been told that movies were better in 70s and 80s
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and hence they believe so. Nevertheless this generation has gone further and
clearly identified certain problems associated with Kannada movies as shown in
the table below.
Single Screen
Multiplex
Problem with Kannada
Respondents
Respondents
movies
No.
%
No.
%
No good story
202
65%
138
69%
No quality music
90
29%
51
25%
No good actors
88
28%
57
28%
No beautiful locations and
22
settings
43
14%
Poor Star Cast
72
23%
Expensive ticket prices at
multiplexes
50
25%
37
68
22%
Not released frequently at
multiplexes
11%
18%
74
102
33%
Very less marketing
37%
48
activities before release
75
24%
No Originality
151
48%
121
60%
Far from Kannada culture
87
28%
48
24%
Not as impressive as other
24%
41
language movies
65
21%
Not lavish and posh
57
18%
20%
55
27%
An overwhelming majority of respondents from both single screens (65%) and
multiplexes (69%) felt that Kannada movies lack good story and originality (48%
for respondents from single screens and 60% for respondents from multiplexes).
This could be on account of a large number of remake movies being made in
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Kannada. A significant number of people have expressed concern over Kannada
movies not being screened much in multiplexes and also the high ticket prices at
multiplexes. More than 25% of respondents from both single screens and
multiplexes have said that Kannada movies do not reflect Kannada culture which
again is linked to borrowing ideas from other languages and the culture of
remake in Kannada cinema. Beautiful locations, settings and lavishness does not
seem to be a major concern for them.
Respondents expect Kannada movies to primarily have originality (38% from
respondents from single screens and 43% of respondents from multiplexes) and
avoid remakes. Originality tops the list of their expectations with remake of
movies into Kannada ranked the lowest. Other than originality, good star cast
and music score high on ranking by respondents across single screens and
multiplexes.
Finally the respondents were asked what role the Government should play to
ensure better viewership of Kannada movies.
An overwhelming 78% of
respondents from multiplexes and 68% of respondents from single screens have
opined that the Government should provide more facilities to the industry to
make quality movies. More than 30% of respondents both from single screens
and multiplexes feel that the Government should act on pricing of tickets in
multiplexes and ensure more screening of Kannada movies in multiplexes.
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STUDY 3: MOTHER TONGUE AFFINITY IN MOVIES – A COMPARITIVE STUDY
It is often said that Kannada speaking people are not very proud of their mother
tongue as compared to Malayali, Tamil and Telugu people. In this regard, an
exploratory study was undertaken among youngsters to understand how much
attached are they to their mother tongues in their life styles.
For this study the sample chosen was post-graduate students as our previous
study had shown that younger generation is the major target segment for
movies. Students were chosen from a reputed b-school in Manipal, Karnataka.
The Institute attracts students from all over India, with students belonging to
more than 25 states studying there.
A questionnaire was prepared to assess their life style habits and this
questionnaire was administered through internet on google docs. (See Annexure
– 2 for the questionnaire). A total of 552 students took the survey out of which
410 (74%) were male students and the remaining 142 (26%) were female
students. About 440 (80%) of them were below the age of 25 years. Most of them
came from well to do families as 39% had a monthly family income of Rs. 50000
– Rs. 1 lakh and 32% had incomes above Rs. 1 lakh per month.
Coming to their hobbies, 98.2 % listened to music and 98.6 watched movies in
theatres. About 87% watched television but among this, a large portion (above
50%) watched TV for less than 30 minutes in a day. About 43% watched TV for
30 minutes to 2 hours every day. Coming to movies, 363 (65%) watched movies
80
at least once in a month. About 26% watched movies 2-3 times in a month and
7% watched movies every week.
The students spoke different languages. Many were not conversant with their
mother tongues but spoke other languages well. Only 3 persons claimed English
to be their mother tongues but an overwhelming 80% claimed they were
conversant with this language. Hindi was the mother tongue for a large number
of people, 184 out of 552 to be precise, which makes it 33%. Other languages
indicated as mother tongue were, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya, Guajarati, Kannada,
Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Konkani and Coorgi.
The table below gives the data for the four South Indian languages plus Hindi and
English.
Movies
Music
Reading
Language
Mother
Tongue
Comfort in
conversing
Most of
the
times
Some
times
Always
Most of
the
times
Always
Most of
the
times
English
Hindi
Kannada
Tamil
Malayalam
Telugu
3
184
40
29
62
49
440
393
50
49
46
53
391
364
13
39
41
46
146
138
15
46
26
22
161
300
14
43
21
27
168
169
10
26
26
30
502
27
7
4
7
6
47
30
3
3
13
10
It can be seen that most of the people are conversant in English and Hindi. The
comfort with English is mainly due to the fact that almost all the respondents had
English as the medium of instruction in their college. The number of people who
are familiar with Hindi is more than the number of people who have Hindi as
their mother tongue. This is on account of Hindi being a national language and
81
people from many states in India are familiar with Hindi even though it is not the
language widely spoken in the state.
Among the 552 respondents in this study, close to 10% each were conversant
with south Indian languages – Tamil (49 people), Telugu (53 people), Kannada
(50 people) and Malayalam (46 people). From the table above it can be inferred
that the mother tongue connect in life style is low in Kannada in comparison to
the other three south Indian languages. Though the number of respondents in
each category is not so as to make the results statistically significant, they do
indicate some trend.
Kannada people or the people who are familiar with Kannada language do not
seem to consider Kannada when it comes to lifestyle habits such as watching
movies, listening to music or reading. The following tables individually look at
these habits among people, who are familiar with south Indian languages and it
can be seen that but, for reading Kannada, people lag behind mother tongue
connection in movies and music.
Language
Kannada
Tamil
Malayalam
Telugu
Mother
Tongue
40
29
62
49
Comfort in
conversing
50
49
46
53
Watching Movies
Most of the Times
Sometimes
No.
%
No.
%
13
39
41
46
26%
80%
89%
87%
15
46
26
22
30%
94%
57%
42%
82
Language
Mother
Tongue
Kannada
Tamil
Malayalam
Telugu
40
29
62
49
50
49
46
53
Language
Mother
Tongue
Comfort in
conversing
Kannada
Tamil
Malayalam
Telugu
40
29
62
49
Listening to Music
Comfort in
conversing
50
49
46
53
Always
Most of the Times
No.
%
No.
%
14
43
21
27
28%
88%
46%
51%
10
26
26
30
20%
53%
57%
57%
Reading
Always
Most of the Times
No.
%
No.
%
7
4
7
6
14%
8%
15%
11%
3
3
13
10
6%
6%
28%
19%
While watching movies most of the times in respective languages of familiarity
for Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam was more than 80% , it was disappointingly
low for Kannada at 26%. Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam people who did not watch
movies in their respective languages most of the times, but watched sometimes
was also high as compared to Kannada which stood at 30% as compared Tamil
and Malayalam which was more than 50%.
The numbers also indicate that Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies are
watched by people who are not even comfortable with that language. For
example while only 49 people were conversant with Tamil, as many as 87 people
had the habit of watching Tamil movies.
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Major Findings of the Study
Following are the major findings from the study presented in points
1. Movies seem to attract younger crowd than the aged group. About 43% of
the movie watchers fall in the age group of 16 – 25 years. And another
40% is between the age of 25 – 40 years.
2. More and more people are shifting to multiplexes for watching movies.
3. A majority of the movie watching population of Karnataka seems to like
watching movies and there is no difference about this between single
screen viewers and multiplex viewers. About 90% of the viewers liked or
really liked watching movies.
4. Two thirds of movie watchers watch movies at least once in a month. This
shows that movie watching is a regular activity in their life style.
5. Among the genres, action and comedy are most preferred by the audience
followed by family drama and suspense. Single screen audience prefers
romance much more than multiplex going crowd. Kannada audience also
like science fiction.
6. Whether it is multiplex or single screen, people like watching movies in
company and the most preferred company is friends followed by family
members.
84
7. Kannada film watchers have a perception that the Kannada movies made
in 1970s and 80s were much better in quality than movies being made
currently.
8. The major problem with Kannada movies as per the audience is lack of
originality and lack of good story. This opinion, is shared alike by both
single screen and multiplex audience.
9. The Kannada cinema watchers are concerned about Kannada movies not
getting enough screen time in multiplexes.
10. Kannada cinema watchers wish that the Government provided more
facilities to the industry to produce quality films
11. Kannada speaking people watch less Kannada movies compared to Tamil,
Telugu and Malayalam people watching movies in their respective
languages.
85
PART 5
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is often said, “There is no business like show business”. It has glamour, money,
excitement, creativity and what not. However, this business is also one of the
most risky businesses. Each movie released is a brand new product and the rate
of introduction of new products (a new movie) is very high in this industry as
compared to other industries. When we consider each new movie as a new
product, Indian cinema is the only industry that introduces more than 1000 new
products in a year. These movies vie with each other for the attention of viewers
who accept or reject the movies in one week’s time.
New products and services in other industries, once introduced, can be improved
based on customer feedback. This is not possible in show business, as there is no
recourse if the audience does not like a movie. While it has always been the case,
the theatrical life cycle of a movie has become extremely short in the present
times. Theoretically, any product or service takes time initially to be accepted by
the market, after which, the market starts growing in terms of revenue. It then
reaches the maturity stage where the revenues plateau and then it starts
declining. During the introduction stage, only few innovators adopt the product
(about 3.5%) and then come the early adopters (about 16.5%). The remaining
80% of the business is supposed to come at a later stage by the groups known as
early majority, late majority and laggards1. This entire process takes some time.
1
Everett Rogers “Diffusion of Innovation” , 1963
86
For certain products, it could be as high as two to three decades, while for
fashion products it could be just a matter of months.
However, in the business of movies, the fate of the movie is decided in a matter
of one week. For example, 36 movies released from January to August 2015,
collected Rs.1750 crores at the box office and out of this, Rs.1157 (66%) was
collected in the first week of their release. For about 18 movies out of the 36, the
first week collection was more than 85% of the total collection and for 6 movies
the entire 100% collection happened in the first week and there was no business
after that2 period. This demonstrates that movies have a very short time window
to recover their costs and make profits at the theatres.
The elements that determine the success of movies has been a matter of interest
to the industry and academia as well, Rocco et al3, based on their study, cite star
artistes, famous directors, impact of critics, financing strategies as predictors of
success. In the same study, it was found that distribution strategies, newspaper
rankings, state support, cast and the director had significant association with
higher box office revenues. In another study4 that investigates box office slump
in the United States in 2005, the reasons for the slump are stated as ticket prices,
rise of home market (DVD), video on demand, theatre ambience, timing of
release and uninspiring movies.
2
from the website, indicine.com accessed on 23rd August 2015
“Distribution strategy and movie performance : An empirical note” by Rocco Ciciretti, Iftekhar
Hassan and Maya Waisman, Eurasian Economic Review, 5, 2015, pp 179-187
3
“The movie industry: Managing the box office slump” by Dr. N Delener, Proceedings of the NorthEast Business & Economic Association, October 2007
4
87
While these are applicable to all movies in general, Kannada cinema today is
more threatened by the factors mentioned above, as seen in the previous section,
the issues plaguing the industry go beyond what is stated above. There is an
immediate need for proactive action to ensure the survival and growth of
Kannada movies. The problems affecting Kannada movies are two dimensional.
There are issues on quality, marketing of movies, customer perception etc which
are related to the industry and the industry needs to work on these. However,
any action taken towards this will have impact on the long term. Unfortunately,
Kannada movies do not have a long time horizon to recover and grow given the
rate at which non-Kannada movies are penetrating Karnataka market. Hence,
Kannada movies desperately need quick short-term measures to avert this
threat and this is where the Government can act as an enabler. The following
section discusses the role of industry and the Government towards
strengthening the Kannada cinema.
The fundamental question is what role the Government should play in the
promotion of movies given that there are other priorities and pressing needs for
the state. There seems to be a strong case for the Government to play an active
role in the promotion of the movies. First of all, research studies have shown that
state support can boost the movie industry. Secondly, movies are linked to the
art and culture of the land. Movies are one arena where a variety of creative
people such as actors, singers, dancers, writers and directors converge, and
showcase their talents. It is also an industry that supports thousands of families
of technicians and other staff who depend on movies for their livelihood. Thirdly,
on the long run, if nurtured well, movies are a tremendous source of revenue for
88
the Government in the form of taxes. This aspect is important as this is perhaps
the most ethical source of taxes as compared to other mass consumed items such
as alcohol and tobacco. Fourthly, movies are an economical source of
entertainment for the poor and it is important that they are not deprived of it.
Lastly, the current study has shown that people expect the Government to create
an ideal climate for movie making by providing adequate support.
The Government of Karnataka has indeed been very supportive of the Kannada
movie industry. It was the first one to start the practice of providing subsidy to
Kannada movies to the tune of Rs. 50000 per movie in 1966. At present, the
subsidy amount is Rs. 10 lakhs per movie and it is available to 100 Kannada and
other language movies such as Tulu, Konkani, Kodava, Beary and Banjara. Out of
the 100 subsidies available, 92 movies are paid Rs. 10 lakhs each and Rs. 25
lakhs each is earmarked for 4 children movies and 4 movies on Kannada tourism,
heritage and national integration. Five movies, based on novels, each get Rs.5
lakhs additional subsidy. Remake movies do not get the 100 tax-free benefit that
the original Kannada movies get. To avail this, the re-recording, recording,
dubbing and 50% shooting has to be done in Karnataka. If a movie gets selected
for exhibition in an International festival, it gets Rs.19.75 lakh.
There is also no sales tax on Kannada movies while non-Kannada movies pay a
tax of 30%5. This tax holiday is aimed primarily at promoting Kannada movie
viewership amidst competition from other language movies.
This is a normal practice in most of the states. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Rajasthan have 0% tax on movies made in the respective languages.
5
89
In addition to this, the Government has never intervened in the practices
adopted by the movie industry such as – no dubbing and no release of other
language movies for 7 weeks in Karnataka6 even though they have no legal
sanctity and are against the norms set by CCI7, the Karnataka Government has
stood by the industry.
However, there is a need for the Government to act in certain areas that are
threatening the very existence of Kannada movies. Following are the
recommended actions that the Government may wish to take.
1. Eliminating Bureaucratic Hurdles
a) One of the major problems that the movie makers in Karnataka face is the
hurdles that they need to go through toward securing permissions to
shoot outdoors. Some producers have expressed anguish over the fact
that they need to take permissions from multiple departments to shoot
movies in locations.
The Government stand on permitting outdoor
shooting should be less bureaucratic because out-door locations shown in
movies promotes tourism.
b) The Government gives Rs.10 lakhs subsidy per movie for Kannada
movies. There is a committee set up by the Government to look into the
quality of movies and certify them for subsidy. Apparently this process
This practice existed earlier. Non – Kannada movies were allowed to release in Karnataka only 7
weeks after their home release.
6
7
Competition Commission of India
90
takes a long time and the producers have to wait inordinately for subsidy.
Some producers have even questioned the sanctity of this committee. The
Government must take steps to smoothen out the process.
c) The Government of Karnataka recognizes good work in cinema and gives
annual awards in various categories. A committee, headed by a panel of
Judges, decides the awards. The jury usually consists of eminent
personalities from the film field. The awards intend to promote films with
artistic values and encourage artists, technicians and producers. The
awards are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented
by the Chief Minister. The awards have a cash component. Though the
amount may be modest, the awards are sought after and cherished as
they stand testimony to the good work done by the artistes and
technicians. However, the entire process is always fraught with
controversies. There are complaints about selection of the jury members
as well as the winners. Recently, some awards have been withdrawn,
which has happened for the first time in the history of Kannada cinema.
The net result is that the credibility of the awards is lost and this has hurt
the image of the industry as well as the Government. Given this, it is
recommended that the Government dissociate itself from the process of
selection of the jury. The process can be given to agencies that are
associated with movies on a continuous basis and are perceived as
credible and fair.
91
2. Generating Additional Revenue through Surcharge
At present the Government levies a Re.1 per ticket surcharge on non-Kannada
movies in Karnataka and it is not known whether or not this amount is spent
towards development of cinema in Karnataka. Even if it is made available for
such purposes, the amount is too small to make any significant impact. The
neighboring state of Kerala charges Rs. 3 per ticket and this amount is spent
specifically on development of movies and funding activities related to cinema. A
well-known Kannada producer points to more than dozen theatres built in
Kerala using this money. Karnataka can also think of levying a higher surcharge
per ticket, even to the tune of Rs. 5 – Rs. 7 with a clear mandate of spending this
money exclusively on Kannada cinema. Following are the ways in which the
money can be put to use.
a) Increase subsidy: Kannada movies get a subsidy of Rs.10 lakhs per
movie. This amount, though significant, is not motivating enough, given
that the cost of movie making has gone up manifolds. An increase in
subsidy will definitely reduce the risk perception among makers and
many new moviemakers with fresh ideas will enter the fray. Secondly,
many award-winning movies do not get theatrical release and depend on
subsidies. Hence they are constrained by the subsidy amount even at the
budgeting stage of the movie. This makes them to compromise on several
aspects. The neighboring state of Maharashtra gives Rs.40 lakhs per
movie and Uttar Pradesh gives up to Rs. 2 crore for movies produced in
92
the state. Karnataka should also act along these lines and think at least of
fixing the subsidy as a percentage of the average cost of movie making.
b) Additional Funding for Film Festivals: The International Film Festival
hosted in Karnataka is grossly underfunded with a budget allocation of
Rs. 2 Crores while the neighboring states of Kerala and Goa provide
anywhere between Rs. 7.5 to Rs. 10 crores. The film festival in Karnataka
therefore, is not able to make an impact due to lack of adequate resources.
The money raised through surcharge can also be utilized for this.
c) Additional Incentive for Movies based on Novels: At present, five
movies based on novels each get Rs.5 lakhs additional subsidy. Keeping in
mind the consumer preference for good stories and the declining trend of
making novel based movies, the Government could think of raising this
amount so as to be a motivator for making movies based on Kannada
stories and novels
d) Revival of KFDC: The Karnataka Film Industries Development
Corporation Ltd (KFDC), which operated in the Kanteerava Studios
premises, has not been active since last 7-8 years. It was established with
an objective of development of movie industry in Karnataka and did
finance some movies earlier. It is recommended here that KFDC should be
revived with the goal of planning, promoting and organizing an integrated
and efficient development of Kannada film industry and nurture
excellence in Kannada cinema. The funds required for this can come from
the proposed surcharge. KFDC can finance movies that are good in
93
concept but are finding it difficult to raise money through traditional
channels.
e) Finance Exhibition of Kannada movies outside Karnataka: While
there is a significant market for non-Kannada movies in Karnataka,
Kannada movies hardly have any takers outside Karnataka. There is a
significant Kannada population outside Karnataka especially in places
such as Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai and Dubai. It has become rather
difficult for Kannada moviemakers to find theatres outside Karnataka due
to high theatre rentals. If the Government can take a share of this financial
burden, then it would be possible for Kannada movies to reach out. This
facility can be made available only to original Kannada movies and not
remakes.
3. Building Small Theatres
Karnataka is facing shortage of theatres and in this regard the Government
proposes help in building 300 small theatres at a cost of Rs.25 lakhs each. This is
a welcome initiative. If all goes well, about 500 Janatha cinema halls will be
constructed for the screening of Kannada films. One needs Rs25 lakh (excluding
the cost of land) to construct a 300-seat theatre at a taluk or district headquarter.
The movie industry proposes that the Government provide Rs15 lakh as a loan
and Rs10 lakh as subsidy and to collect rent for the land allotted for the
construction of a cinema theatre8. However, it must be ensured that these
theatres exhibit Kannada movies only. In addition, the Government should also
8
“Sandalwood looking forward to more theatres”, DNA, Feb 16, 2014
94
allow existing theatres with large capacities to be converted to multiple theatres
of smaller capacities.
4. Policy on Multiplexes
Karnataka definitely needs a policy on Multiplexes. The consumer study has
shown that Kannada movie watching audience finds that Kannada movies are
not screened enough in multiplexes or when screened, they are shown at nonprime times. The audience also feels that the admission rates at multiplexes are
rather high. To the audience, the cost of watching movies in multiplexes includes
not only ticket price but also the cost of snacks and drinks. While the multiplexes
peg their prices based on their cost structure, it also important to ensure that
they support the development of movies made locally. There are instances
where State Governments have intervened to ensure local movies are screened
by multiplexes. In Maharashtra, there is legislation that ensures screening of
Marathi movies at prime times in multiplexes. In Tamil Nadu, the rate admission
for the first two rows in all multiplexes is pegged at Rs.20 per seat. The study has
shown that Kannada audience likes to watch movies in multiplexes ( given the
poor state of single screen theatres) and hence it is time for the Government to
evolve a policy on multiplex screening norms for Kannada movies and admission
rates.
5. Establishment of Film Institutions
It is an age-old concern being expressed by most of the movie makers that
Karnataka lacks basic movie making infrastructure. This concern appears more
glaring when one looks at the movie making infrastructure development in the
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last two decades in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra. While Tamil Nadu has
traditionally been a center for making movies in south, Andhra has now emerged
as the favorite destination with Ramoji Rao film city. In Kerala, the Government
has allotted 100 acres in Trivandrum for establishing film institutions. Karnataka
also needs to establish a good film city to ensure local technicians from
Karnataka earn revenues from technical services. Moreover, it will bring down
the cost of movie making significantly. It is recommended that the film city is
established in Mysuru as it is much cheaper in terms of stay and travel. Moreover
the time to commute in Mysuru is also less as compared to Bangaluru. Mysuru
also has more than 50 beautiful locations near by. The only shortcoming is the
lack of a functional airport. If the Government can develop the airport and
encourage entrepreneurs through easy allotment of land, power and other
infrastructure, Karnataka can also have a good film city.
In addition to this, Karnataka needs a good film training institute along the lines
of FTII. If the Government can take a proactive initiative on this, there will be no
dearth of entrepreneurs in this segment as well.
6. Establish Ministry for Cinematography
Karnataka makes about 125 films per year and is next only to Hindi, Tamil,
Telugu and Malayalam cinema in its size. The total annual investment is about
Rs. 500 – 600 crores and the revenue is Rs. 275 – Rs. 300 crores.9. Given its size
and the quantum of financial risk involved, it is absolutely necessary that there
are governance structures and processes dedicated to this industry. However, at
Movie industry is inherently risky. This phenomena of revenues being less than the cost is seen
across all movie industries.
9
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present, movies come under the ambit of Information & Broadcasting ministry,
which looks after several issues and hence is loaded with work. The neighboring
states seem to have realized the importance of a focused approach towards
movies and hence have a dedicated minister for movies. In Andhra Pradesh, it is
the chief minister Shri Chandrababu Naidu, who holds this portfolio, while in
Telangana, Shri T S Yadav is Minister of Cinematography. In Kerala, Shri. T
Radhakrishnan is the Minister of Cinema. A ministry dedicated to cinema will be
a platform dedicated for policy making on cinema, and an institution that
moviemakers can approach with their problems. Karnataka should
have a
dedicated minister for Cinema.
7. Stopping Malpractices
The 100% tax free facility being given to Kannada movies is apparently being
exploited by some exhibitors. Non-Kannada movies are being shown under the
name of Kannada movies where viewers are charged the full amount but the tax
is not paid to the Government. Allowing such practices to continue will hamper
Kannada movies as there is more incentive in exhibiting non-Kannada movies.
The Government must take cognizance of this issue and take corrective
measures. Use of appropriate technology such as compulsory e-ticketing could
eliminate such malpractices.
8. Building a Sustainable Investor Class
While Bollywood boasts of movie making houses such as Yashraj films, Red
Chillies and Eros, Andhra has Padmalaya movies and Tamil Nadu has GV Films
Sun TV Network. These are to name just a few. Many movie and TV companies
have gone public and their shares are traded on the stock market. Moreover,
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these industries are attracting investors in the form of foreign studios. This gives
tremendous credibility to the Industry and finding investors is not a major issue.
Kannada cinema does not have such powerhouse investors and hence the
industry depends on high interest finances from private investors.
It is not that there is no promise in Kannada movies as successful Kannada
movies can yield up to 300 – 400% profit. The main issue seems to be Kannada
movies do not seem to be on top of their minds when it comes to profitable
investment. It here that the Industry and Government need to make a difference
to the potential investors. One way of attracting investors could be arranging
meetings with industry minister, movie producers and investors. Investors can
also be invited to set up labs, studios and film related institutions in the state
with incentives.
9. Perception Management
There seems to be a general perception that Kannada movies are not good and
everything is not all right with Kannada movies. The consumer study indicates
that audience perceives the Kannada movies of 70s and 80s to be much better
than the movies being made at present. This perception could be based not by
watching and comparing today’s movies with that of yesteryears but by
interpreting what they hear and see around them. We are well over a decade into
the new millennium but the stories that float around still belong to 70s and 80s.
Be it newspapers, television or social media, when ever there is talk of national
awards, originality, novel based movies and experimentation, Kannada cinema
98
talks only about past glory. This gives an impression that there has been nothing
good after 1980s.
Secondly, Kannada movies and stars are not known much outside Karnataka like
Tamil/Telugu movies and stars. Hence, there is some defensiveness about
Kannada movies and the learned people of Karnataka carry some inferiority
complex when it comes to movies. This automatically creates negativity towards
Kannada movies.
Hence, there is a need to alter the perception about Kannada movies among
Kannada people so that they are more positive and confident about Kannada
cinema. This can be done by a sustained communication campaign where every
member of the industry takes responsibility. First of all, there should be more
articles in media about good things about Kannada cinema. Many a times, the
critics seem to be harsh on Kannada movies. It is unfair to review a Kannada
movie with the standards of Bollywood movies as a benchmark. Industry should
ensure the movies get fair review and the same should be used for marketing.
Another way of engaging with the younger audience much earlier is by
sponsoring events in schools and colleges. Movie houses can promote their
movies and Kannada cinema through sponsorships.
10. Niche Identification & Creation
In a very competitive market place, it is necessary for products and services to be
distinctly different from competing products and this applies to movies as well.
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The need to be different than competition is much more for Kannada movies as
compared to its counterparts from south as Kannada audience are exposed to
other language movies more than the audience from neighboring states.
Therefore, the success of Kannada movies depends on how different they are
from the movies made in other language. It is a fact that Kannada movies,
because of the limited markets, cannot match Hindi, Telugu and Tamil movies in
terms of their grandeur and scale. Hence, trying to be like them is a futile
exercise and Kannada movies will ever be regarded as poor imitations of Hindi
and other South Indian language movies. By continuously patterning Kannada
movies along the lines of non-Kannada movies, the industry also contributes
towards altering the local tastes and preferences. Tamil and Telugu movies are
typically a shade louder as the target audience likes them that way. Presuming
the same is preferred in Karnataka and subjecting the Kannada audience to it
amounts to disrespecting the tastes of local populace.
In the 60s and 70s, Malayalam and Kannada movies were in a similar situation –
they made the same number of movies and were not considered as important as
Tamil and Telugu movies. Malayam movie industry, by catering to local taste, has
carved a niche and respect for itself in the entire Indian movie Industry. They
have understood their audience, their intellect and their preferences and made
movies accordingly. Once the industry was known as something that delivers
novelty and quality, the audience began expecting something fresh all the time.
This put the industry in the driving seat and they could drive the customer
behavior. Tamil, Hindi and English movies do get released in Kerala but
100
Malayalam cinema is able to withstand any onslaught because they have created
a space for themselves.
Kannada cinema, on the other hand, seems to have given up the position it had
secured in the 70s and tried to be like Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies. This has
resulted in a situation where Kannada movies are not considered at par with
Tamil or Telugu movies and they also do not have an identity of their own. This
is a dangerous position to be, and sooner the industry gets out of this the better
it is for it.
Efforts are required to have a better understanding of the audience and the ethos
of the land. Senior producer / directors must be involved and their guidance
sought in charting out a direction for the industry. It is alright to look at Chennai
or Hyderabad for technical expertise but the industry must look within for
stories, ideas and direction.
11. Periodic Audience Survey
It is a universally accepted fact that movie business is very risky and we have
seen that the productive theatrical time window available to movies is just one
week from the date of release. The consumer study has shown that a majority of
the moviegoers are young. Today’s younger generation is truly global in the
sense that they are well connected with the rest of the world. They are more
aware, materialistic and seek instant gratification. What is more, their values and
beliefs keep changing, which in turn impact their tastes and preferences. It is
also said that the generation gap is now just 7 years as compared to a couple of
101
decades earlier. Some consumer studies have also shown that rural India is also
undergoing a sea change due to wider exposure through TV and Internet. Rural
youth today is as aspirational and brand conscious as its urban counterparts.
Given this, it is very necessary that the movie industry keeps itself updated on
the changing likes and dislikes of its target audience. The data available on
Kannada movie industry is patchy and not reliable. Professional agencies such as
Earnst & Young and IMDB do undertake studies but they focus more on
Bollywood and the commercial aspects of cinema. Consumer studies are rare and
Kannada cinema can take a lead in this. Government bodies such as Karnataka
Chalanachitra Academy or private bodies such as Film Chamber of Commerce
can initiate such studies and share the results with rest of the industry. What has
been attempted in this work is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many
more things to be uncovered with regard to consumers for the cinema industry.
12. Smart Marketing
Cinema watching has changed drastically. Earlier, it was sufficient to have a good
story, strong performances and good star cast to ensure success of movies. The
number of movies released were less and people came back to watch good
movies repeatedly. There was no TV, no You Tube to compete with and even
mediocre movies clicked because they had good songs and theatres was the only
place where people could enjoy these songs.
Today, more number of movies is released every year. Indian market has opened
up and Hollywood movies are also released in India along with rest of the world.
102
Audience has alternatives such as Television, You Tube to watch movies.
Moreover, there are TV programmes, IPL cricket matches and, shopping malls
that can substitute movies for entertainment. Needless to say, the scenario has
become very competitive and complex. Content of the movies is not sufficient
enough to lure the audience to theatres and moviemakers have to depend on
marketing activities. There is research evidence that promotion of movies
through marketing activities has an impact on the success of movies.10 A study
carried out in 2008 shows that most movies that had good content and
aggressive promotion were blockbusters. Moreover, it is also shown that
aggressive promotion can lead to success even if the content is not very good.
The following table taken from the aforementioned research study testifies it. It
studies a sample of movies from 2000 – 2006 with regard to their content, level
of promotion and the success. From the table it can be seen that some movies,
though good in content failed because they did not promote the movies
adequately.
Though the examples cited are from Bollywood, the study is relevant for
Kannada movies as well. Kannada movies are not marketed well. Most of the
times, one sees hoardings and posters but the other ways of marketing is lacking.
The younger generation today is digitally connected and it is important to make
an impact here.
“Marketing strategies of Bollywood movies in India and overseas : An empirical study”, by P
Prasada Rao and Karthik Kannan, The ICFAI journal of Business Strategy, Vol 5, No.1, 2008
10
103
(promotion level 1 – 10 with 1 being low and 10 being high: Content Y for yes and N for No)
Movie
Content
Lage Raho Munnabhai
Salaam Namaste
Munnabhai MBBS
Kaho Na Pyar Hai
Chale Chalte
Hanuman Animation
Veer Zaara
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
Sarkar
Black
Koi Mil Gaya
Lagaan
Mangal Pandey
Devdas
Asoka
Lakshya
Chameli
Swades
Bunty Aur Babli
No Entry
Krrish
Dhoom 2
36 China Town
Dhoom
Golmaal
Kaante
Naksha
Tango Charlei
The Hero
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
Promotio
n Level
9
6
7
5
5
5
6
6
6
3
2
4
4
1
2
3
3
1
4
7
6
8
10
5
6
4
3
2
2
1
Status
All Time Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Super Hit
Super Hit
Super Hit
Hit
Hit
Hit
Hit
Flop
Flop
Flop
Flop
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Blockbuster
Super Hit
Super Hit
Blockbuster
Flop
Flop
Flop
Flop
Following are some of the marketing initiatives that the movie makers can think
of
a) Trending of Kannada trailers on YouTube: Regional languages like
Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam industry releases movie trailers on
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YouTube and quite often these trailers trend with millions of views. The
trailer is released 3-4 months before the movie release. This creates
interest among the audience, they can identify with a movie release if they
have seen the trailer. Google found out that most people find out about a
movie about four weeks in advance of its release date, often coinciding
with the release of a trailer. Coupling trailer-related searches with
franchise status and seasonality metrics (does it open in the summer, or
holidays?), they found that they could predict box office variance at 94
percent. 11
The trailer of Ulidavaru Kandante is the classic example of good launch on
YouTube in recent times. The trailer garnered 4,74,271 views. Thus it
becomes critical to trend your trailer on YouTube using paid campaigns
such as YouTube Trends.
b) Audio Launches: Almost all the famous Tamil/Telugu cinema stars have
an audio release planned, two months before the movie release. This
again creates interest among fans and cinema goers. This audio release is
telecasted on regional channels. It creates awareness about the movie.
Kannada superstars rarely hold audio launches and success celebration of
their movies. These launches can be used as tool to create buzz and
market the movie.
“Do Youtube movie trailer searches correlate to box office success?”, www.reelseo.com accessed
on 25th August 2015
11
105
c) Alternate avenues to showcase parallel cinema: Cinema reaches the
audience
using
online
paid
platforms
like
TVF
Box
office
(http://tvfinboxoffice.com/#!home). Few critically acclaimed movies find
it difficult to get a theatrical release. Such Kannada movies can use the
online paid platforms. This model works on subscription or one-time
payment from movie viewers. The point of difference here is when you
pay to watch a movie, 80% of the money is transferred back on freecharge and you can use the money on free charge. Technically the viewer
pays minimal amount (20%) and watches the movie. This way we can
maximize the reach of Kannada cinemas. This type of viewing is popular
is U.S and is catching up in India
d) Create positive Blogs: The post release marketing is also a very
significant as a positive buzz about the movie keeps the interest intact
among the target segment. Blog sites that write good about a movie can
be developed by people who have liked the movie and postings on the
facebook can also help promote movies.
e) Celebrities as Movie Critics: There are many movie critics appearing on
every TV channel after the release of movies. These reviews definitely
have an impact on the minds of the customers. Instead of having the TV
staff as movie critics, it would be innovative to have a celebrity come on
the TV to talk good about the movies. People such as Jayanth Kaikini have
a lot of credibility and if they say positive things about a movie it is bound
to have a positive impact.
106
13. Connect through Film Society
The recent Malayalam blockbuster had a 100 day run in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE). The success can be attributed to the large Malayali diaspora in
the gulf nations but a significant number of non-Malayalis also would have
watched the movie. Sadly the viewership of Kannada movies outside Karnataka
is dismally low compared to other south Indian languages. Kannada families
settled outside Karnataka do not watch Kannada movies and hence their
children also do not get to watch Kannada movies. This potentially eliminates
future audience for Kannada movies. One way of countering this is to develop
Kannada Film Societies outside the sate in major cities. Industry should take
initiatives and identify Kannada movie buffs in these places and designate them
as champions. These champions can lead the initiative of developing Kannada
movie watching habits among outside state Kannadigas.
14. Identification and development of artistic talent
In the past, stars such as Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Vinod Mehra have
emerged through talent search contests. While Dharmendra came through a
Filmfare12 organized contest, Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Mehra were the products
of a talent search contest organized by a group of producers that included G P
Sippy, Shakti Samantha and Nazir Hussain.
Similar efforts are required in Kannada movie industry to identify and develop in
house talent. It is a fact that star power plays a significant role in the success of
12
A very popular fortnightly magazine dedicated to Hindi movies
107
movies and more stars with box office pull can ensure a longer run for movies at
the theatres. It is also a fact that the most important ingredient to become a star
is talent. Actors such as Rajkumar, Anant Nag and Vishnuvardhan were bundles
of talent and actors such as Ambareesh and Prabhakar worked their upwards
through sheer talent. There is no dearth of talent in Karnataka and there are
artistes waiting to be tapped by moviemakers. They only need a platform to
showcase their talents. Kannada producers must look outside Bangalore for
talent in the area of acting, singing, story writing and screenplay.
15. Cost Management
One of the problems plaguing the industry is high cost of making movies. This
compels the movie makers to look only at stars having box office pull so that
initial draw at the box office is ensured. Because the cost of making movies is
high, a majority the producers seem to avoid all kinds of risk, which is seen in
their preference for remake movies and avoidance of any type of
experimentation in story and screenplay.
One way of improving the quality of movies and experimenting with new faces is
to overcome market risks by non-traditional methods of financing the movies.
There have been instances of movies being made from the money raised from
public. For example Lucia, a psychological thriller film written and directed by
Pawan Kumar, premiered at the London Indian Film Festival in July 2013 and
won the Best Film Audience Choice award at the festival. It was also among the
films shortlisted by the FFI to become India's submission for Academy Award for
Best Foreign Language Film for the year 2013. Made on a shoe string budget of
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Rs.50 lakhs, it went on to make more than Rs.3 crores at the box office.
Lucia is notable for its use of crowd funding technique. It was funded by 110
investors who contributed to the project through a Facebook page and a blog run
by director-actor Pawan Kumar. It was the first Kannada movie to bypass the
traditional film-financing mode. Lucia was made at a budget of Rs.50 lakhs and
made in excess of Rs.3 Crores. Kannada language television channel Udaya TV
bought the satellite rights of the film for Rs.95 lakhs.
A similar approach is seen in Kerala with film maker Sudevan, who has funded
his movies through contributions from fans. The contributions are often in the
range of Rs.100- Rs.500 and occasionally Rs.1000 – Rs.5000. His first feature
film, CR No.89, cost Rs.7.25 lakhs and was made mainly from such
contributions.13
The success stories of such endeavors have not reached many people. These are
published as newspaper articles that are not read by the masses. If the industry
can institutionalize crowd funding by streamlining all the activities related to it,
it will gain more popularity and credibility. The success of such a system can
ensure improvement in the quality of movies and more experimentation in
Kannada cinema.
13
“A film runs through this village” by Charmy Harikrishnan, India Today, July 13, 2015
109
16. Stars as partners
The industry should look at stars not just as box office attractions but also as
entities who can play a larger role in the overall movie making value chain. Stars
can contribute and gain much more by participating in the following initiatives.
Producers can have stars as partners in their movies. Stars can be allowed to
invest in the movies or stars can be given the distribution rights of certain
territories. This will ensure a better commitment from stars towards the movies
they are involved in.
Stars can also be involved in marketing activities of movies in a sustained
manner. Other than the pre-release promo, shows stars can also travel to
important locations to promote movies. Recently Actor Sathish Ninasam along
with the music director Poornachandra Tejaswi visited colleges in Davangere to
promote Lucia. It is a common practice among Bollywood stars to travel to
important locations such as Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune for promoting their
movies. This can be done for Kannada movies as well. Stars can also be involved
in the activity of sending sms messages in their name so that the message has
more value and credibility. Comprehensive contracts with stars can be signed
covering all these aspects.
17. Story – Originality (Industry)
One of the major complaints among the Kannada movie watching audience is
that Kannada movies lack good stories and originality. Gone are the days when a
lot of Kannada movies were based on novels. The pioneer in this practice was
110
Puttanna Kanagal whose hit movies, Nagarahavu, Gejje pooje, Sharapanjara,
Dharmasere, Shubhamangala, Paduvarahalli Pandavaru were all based on novels.
The practice of converting good popular novels and stories into movies seems to
have waned in the last couple of decades. It also often heard moviemakers
complaining that there are no good stories in Kannada language. This argument
is rather difficult to accept, as the literary world of Karnataka is full of
distinguished writers.
What seems to be lacking is a bridge between the industry and the literary
world. First of all, there is a need for directors and producers to keep searching
for good stories and think out of the box. This requires connect with good,
popular storywriters on a continuous basis. Directors can also share a story idea
and ask these writers develop the story instead of waiting for the writers to
come up with the stories first. Producers can partner with magazines to run
story / novel writing competition with a promise that the prize winning stories
will be made into movies.
Given the cultural diversity in Karnataka, it is important that the stories are
chosen with great care and consideration. Hence, moviemakers need to look for
stories that have universal appeal within Karnataka. Movies such as Drishyam
(Malayalam), Sooryavansham, Thevar Magan and Chinna Thambi (all Tamil) were
remade in many Indian languages and they all clicked because the theme appeal
was pan Indian. Even the recent blockbuster “Bahubali” has done well in all
languages not because of its technical gloss but it was rooted in Indian culture
and had a Chandamama based folk – fantasy that every Indian liked. Kannada
111
moviemakers should look into aspects that unite various parts of Karnataka
(North Karnataka, Mysore Karnataka, Hyderabad Karnataka & Coastal
Karnataka) while choosing stories and themes. Consumers have indicated action
and comedy as their favorite genres but within this, care should be taken to
make movies that have pan Karnataka appeal.
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Annexure - 1
Annexure - 1
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR MOVIE WATCHERS
Dear Sir,
We are a top ranked business management college in India and we are conducting a
study on movie watching habits and preferences with a focus on Kannada movies. In this
connection we require some data, which we are capturing through the questions below.
We would be extremely grateful if you can spare some time to complete this
questionnaire. Your cooperation will go a long way in helping the industry –
1. What is your gender?
a) Male
☐
b) Female
☐
2. Please tick the age group to which you belong –
a) Between 16 to 25 years
b) Between 26 to 40 years
c) Between 40 to 60 years
d) Above 60 years
☐
☐
☐
☐
3. Please tick your qualification from the options below –
a) SSLC (X Std.)
b) Graduate
c) Post-Graduate
☐
☐
☐
4. Please indicate your income group from the options below –
a) Less than Rs.5,000 p.m.
b) Between Rs.5000 to Rs.15,000 p.m.
c) Between Rs.15,000 to Rs.40,000 p.m.
d) Between Rs.40,000 to Rs.1,00,000 p.m.
e) More than one lakh p.m.
5. Please mention your mother-tongue -
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
……………………………….
6. Please mention which language are you most conversant with ……………
Annexure - 1
7. Which language movies do you normally watch? (please tick in the relevant box)
Never watch
Rarely watch
Frequently
Watch
Always watch
English
Hindi
Tamil
Telugu
Kannada
Malayalam
Tulu
Marathi
8.
How much do you like watching movies?
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
a) I really like watching movies
b) I like watching movies
c) I neither like nor dislike watching movies
d) I dislike watching movies
e) I really dislike watching movies
9. How often do you watch movies in theatres?
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
a) Once a year or less
b) Several times a year
c) Once a month
d) 2 to 3 times a month
e) Once a week
f)
2 to 3 times a week
10. Where do you frequently watch movies?
a) Single Screens
b) Multiplex
☐
☐
11. In general, how much do you like watching movies from the following genres?
Genre
Action
Comedy
Crime
Family Drama
Horror
Really
Dislike
Dislike
Neither
like nor
dislike
Like
Really
Like
Annexure - 1
Romance
Historical
Mythological
Suspense
Science Fiction
12. Please rank your preference to watch movies of the following languages
(Rank 1 as most preferred language, 2 for next and so on)
Preference
Kannada
English
Hindi
Telugu
Tamil
Marathi
Malayalam
Others
Rank
13. Please indicate the criteria based on which you decide to watch movies (tick all that
apply)–
a) Entertainment value
b) Popularity based on reviews
c) Star cast
d) Music, dance and story in the movie
e) Director of the movie
f)
Time-pass
14. You normally watch movies–
a) Alone
b) With Friends
c) With Family members
d) With Colleagues
e) Not very particular of company
15. How often do you watch Kannada movies?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
Annexure - 1
16. Which is the last Kannada movie seen by you?
…………………………
17. Indicate your opinions on the Kannada movies released in the years’ shown below by
ticking any one alternative for each decade.
Decade
Very
Good
Average
Bad
Very Bad
Good
1970’s
1980’s
1990’s
2000’s
2010 onwards
18. What do you think is the problem with Kannada movies? (Tick all that apply)
a) No good story
b) No quality music
c) No Good Actors
d) No beautiful locations and settings
e) Poor Star cast
f)
Expensive prices at Multiplex
g) Not released frequently in Multiplex
h) Very less marketing activities before movie release
i)
No originality
j)
Very far from Kannada culture
k) Not impressive as movies from other languages
l)
Not lavish and posh
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
19. Please rank the aspects you look for in a Kannada movie
(Rank 1 as most preferred aspect, 2 for next and so on)
Aspect
Better Star cast
Good quality music, locations and language
Originality
Affordable price at Multiplex
More Kannada movie releases in Multiplex
More remake of movies from other languages
Good Marketing activities before movie release
Close to Kannada culture
Movies based on Novels
Richer in production values
Your Rank
Annexure - 1
20. What is the role of the government in ensuring better viewership of Kannada movies?
a) Low ticket prices both in Single Screens and Multiplexes
b) Screen more Kannada movies in Multiplexes
c) Ensure low price of eatables in Multiplexes
d) More facilities to industry for producing quality movies
*****
☐
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☐
Annexure - 2
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- Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy

Transcription

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