Stuck in a rut

In April, traditionally a good season to start the summer crop of releases, the Kannada film industry is facing a big crisis

Stuck in a rut

In April, traditionally a good season to start the summer crop of releases, the Kannada film industry is facing a big crisis

The year 2009 has begun on a low note for the Kannada film industry. The first quarter has been terrible and trade pundits are rattling off figures of doom.

More than 25 films have been released so far this year and only two films Junglee, directed by Duniya Suri with Vijay and Aindritha Ray in the lead and Ambari, starring Yogish have fared well at the box office. All the other films, which boasted top stars of the industry, tanked miserably at the box office. Big movies like Vishnuvardhan's Namm Yejamaanaru (directed by Nagabharana), Shivaraj kumar's Nanda, and Malashri's Kiran Bedi have failed to click with the masses.

Ramesh's Venkata in Sankata managed to recover the money invested in the film. Sudeep's Veera Madakari also received a good opening, but the film's collections dropped after the first three days.

It is said that producers and distributors have lost over Rs 60 crore so far. The current situation is so bad that even the financers are wary of investing money in the market. After continuous losses, distributors are not willing to risk their money on big budget star movies.

It is also said that most of the films are released directly by the producers these days and many April-May releases are lying unsold as there are no buyers, say industry sources.

Industry woes

Video piracy and the hike in ticket rates are also said to have affected the film industry. The weekly rents of theatres have doubled, but the collections have remained the same and have not increased proportionately.

Many industry people feel that unless and untill there is reduction in theatre rentals and ticket rates, it would be very difficult for the producers and distributors to cope with the situation.

Summer has always been the best season for big budget films because people want to watch blockbusters along with their families. And all the filmmakers and stars want their films to hit the theatres at this time to get maximum revenues. Now, with elections and IPL cricket frenzy on the anvil, the peak summer season is turning out to be a low-key affair with filmmakers preferring to keep away from new releases.

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