Poor planning and sloppy execution leave fans fuming at Kannada film industry's 75th year gala
Poor planning and sloppy execution leave fans fuming at Kannada film industry's 75th year gala
The only bright spot of Kannada cinema's much-hyped Amrutha Mahotsava was Kamal Hassan's emotional five-minute speech, in Kannada, on his equation with Dr Raj Kumar, the icon of Kannada cinema.
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Shanti Shanti: Ravichandran tries to calm the audience down |
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Hi-profile: Saukar Janaki, Kamal Hassan, Parvathamma and Yeddyurappa |
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Swalpa adjust maadi: Katta Subramanya Naidu talks to the media |
Barring this, the utter chaos that prevailed at Palace Grounds, the venue where the Kannada film industry gathered to celebrate its platinum jubilee, made mockery of the time, money and effort that went into planning the extravaganza.
The landmark event was marred by a scuffle between the security guards and the fans who had turned up in huge numbers and ugly gaffes on stage, leaving the KFCC red-faced. No protocol was observed even when chief minister B S Yeddyurappa went up on stage to inaugurate the event.
Poor planning...
Many actors, especially TV stars who had VIP passes, had to return home disappointed as they were refused entry by the security guards who failed to manage the crowd.
Upendra was forced to intervene to calm frayed nerves. Despite this, angry fans tore up the invitations and threw the shreds at the security guards before leaving in a huff.
Those like senior actor Kashinath had to wait for over 20 minutes to enter the venue. Filmmaker S Rajendra Singh Babu was seen desperately looking for a way inside as the VIP passes did not have gate numbers printed on them.
Those who made it inside the venue weren't allowed to move from their seats, even to use the bathroom. When they tried to appeal to the policemen on duty, they met with helpless shrugs. "Swalpa adjust maadi," was the constant refrain, making even the most ardent fan turn abusive and angry.
Clueless execution
The event itself began two hours behind schedule and the crowd became terribly restless. A section of the fans began throwing chairs and hooting in protest.
The stage, on which lakhs of rupees had been spent, looked garish not classy. A massive screen, at the rear of the stage, was set up to display graphics but it proved to be a huge distraction from the live performances.
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The remixes of popular songs were noisy, jarring and off key, making one yearn for the original melodies.
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Star of the evening: Kamal Hassan gives an emotional five-minute speech in Kannada pics/Ku00a0N Nagesh Kumar |
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Fan fair: Spectators at the event |
Thumbs down >>Poor crowd management
>>The comedy act on stage was insane and the one-liners were pathetic
Thumbs upu00a0
>>Kamal Hassan's emotional speech, wherein he said artistes have no barriers of language, caste or creed
>>Sridhar's nimble footwork in Hindustanavu Yendhu Mareyada.... a song from Amrutha Galige
>>Darshan and Punith Raj Kumar, who enacted a song from Babruvahana with panache
>>Heart-felt tributes paid by artistes like Tara, Ananth Nag, Jayanthi to their late colleagues
Very disappointing, say fansWhat are your memories of the evening, we asked some of those who braved the heat and the dust and found themselves some space, and here's what they had to say:
I came with great expectations but left feeling cheated. The show was mediocre.
Nagendra (28), businessman from Banaswadi
The Kannada film industry has shown that organising an event of this magnitude is not its forte. How could they not expect a large crowd? Did they think there are no fans of Kannada cinema?
Harish (37), businessman from Malleswaramu00a0
It's obvious that they've spent a lot of money on this show but the entertainment element was missing. The crowd management was very poor.
Vinay (23), student from RT Nagaru00a0
