Trying to cut costs, Bangalore movie producers have decided to steer clear of expensive singers from Mumbai. Many feel local talent will get its due, finally
Trying to cut costs, Bangalore movie producers have decided to steer clear of expensive singers from Mumbai. Many feel local talent will get its due, finally
The Kannada film industry more commonly known as Sandalwood, has been fighting a long drawn battle with movie releases from other states. What began as a fight over the number of screens has now evolved into a more complex war that reflects on revenue, casting and now even a film's music and playback singing.
Following an example from Mollywood, the Kerala film industry based out of Kochi, Sandalwood has tried to adapt their cost cutting techniques for Karnataka, quite unsuccessfully.
Mollywood made a general rule that applied to all Malayalam movies made within the state that forced budgets to be trimmed and expenses to be cut down on sets.
The Kannada film producer association has instead decided to help cost cutting by avoiding the use of singers and technicians from outside the state. This however, may not go down too well with Kannada audiences, who have become loyal fans of singers such as Sonu Nigam, Shreya Goshal, Kunal Ganjawala and KK.
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'Talent pool will be lost'
"I don't think it is right or wrong but Kannada films are recognised today at a national level primarily because of good quality singing. Many Kannada music directors prefer singers from Mumbai and the preference is vice versa. I have loved singing for many of my Kannada movies and some of them are my biggest hits. If the Kannada film industry has decided on such a general rule, then all I can say is the biggest loss will be a creative one. We singers might lose out on some revenue but the industry will lose out on a larger pool of voices to choose from," says Sonu Nigam.
'It will benefit us'
"We would rather have singers from Karnataka any day, but often more than not, directors have a feeling that Bollywood singers do a better job. I'm not saying they don't, but we are often not given the opportunity to choose a singer as per the song. This might be a very drastic decision, but it will benefit local talent," says musician Arjun.
"For instance, my current project has been delayed for a couple of months because of the unavailability of dates with a Bollywood singer. The producer decided it was him who would sing that song, and I have to stick with that decision. What can one do in such a situation? If we are allowed access to local talent as a rule, these date issues will cease to exist," he adds.
'Others do it'
"The intention is surely a noble one, especially in a industry that has producers wasting unnecessary time and money on hiring famous singers like Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, who audio companies believe, will help increase sales. This problem will definitely be solved with local singers and lots of money will be saved," says producer Rockline Venkatesh.
'It's not a solution'
Music director V Manohar is not too pleased however. He says, "Restricting talent is not a solution. Yes, we'd prefer local talent any day, but often more than not; it's the producers who prefer the outside singers. We can make do if given a chance, but why choose from a smaller pool of talent when a bigger one is available?"
'We'll lose out'
Budding music director Veersamarth however feels the whole idea is based on pre-conceived notions. "Kannada music has become more popular with these singers from outside lending their voices to our music. I am not saying that we lack talent in the state, but the professionalism that comes with a Shreya or a Sonu is often unmatchable."u00a0u00a0u00a0
'What a trend!'
Lahari Velu, the owner of Lahari Audio, however feels that this trend was a useless trend to begin with anyway.
"In earlier days the cost of a movie was just around 5 to 6 lakhs. Today it has become around 50 to 60 lakhs.
Spending around fifty lakhs just to get the music done however is pure foolishness. How can one spend so much money only on the music," he asks.
"This decision might help us create more sensible cinema with smaller budgets and that's something we ought to look forward to," he adds.
Come what may, the Kannada industry might have to look at more viable options for now. Options that cut down on costs but stay clear of affecting the talent pool may be the only solution.
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