KGF 2, Kantara and beyond: How Kannada film industry emerged as 2022’s biggest success story, and what lies ahead

“The industry has become more popular now. If you do good movies you can reach a bigger audience, which was not the case earlier. Not many valued Kannada films outside Karnataka; they used to look down on us. Today, people sit up and take notice of us,” said filmmaker Pawan Kumar. In the past, he also tried to push the envelope when it came to how the industry responded to competition from other language films.

Pawan was one of the popular voices that spearheaded the movement demanding the removal of the unofficial ban on dubbing other language films into Kannada. The practice, which came into existence over 60 years ago to protect the then relatively new Kannada film industry from its much bigger neighbours, evolved into a social norm. Even though there was no legally valid sanction against the dubbing, it was passionately discouraged behind the power corridors of Kannada cinema. It took the Competition Commission of India’s intervention and the constant effort of a few activists (namely Kannada Grahakara Koota) and filmmakers like Pawan to bring about a change.

Kantara is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

“There is no way you can ban something. I was not saying we need to dub other language films into Kannada to make money. (My stand was) Let the audience watch better content, and you also excel in making good content as well. My fight was against creating a ban to protect the market. You should open up all the gates and prepare yourself to excel,” Pawan explained.

And the industry’s animosity towards the dubbing culture was rendered pointless with the onslaught of streaming platforms. The native Kannada audience now had access to a trove of high-quality content at their fingertips. “The major concern at the time was that the other language films might come here and take over the business. But, they (Kannada filmmakers) never saw themselves making movies that could be dubbed in other languages,” Pawan added.

The success of KGF: Chapter 1 in 2018 made headlines, but KGF: Chapter 2 created an earthquake at the domestic box office. It became the first film in the history of Kannada cinema to collect a whopping Rs 134 crore on its opening day in India alone. The Yash starrer became a giant slayer as it stormed the new markets and outperformed the movies of homegrown superstars there. A few years ago, nobody would have imagined this could be accomplished by the Kannada film industry.

“The content and the intent were always there. We have had some great movies like Raajakumar in the past from the industry. KGF gave us that platform to go big and all out. We scaled it up a bit and tried to do our market research. This has been a phenomenal year for the Sandalwood industry with some amazing movie releases. We are glad that we could break that stereotypical mindset of people about our industry and cinema,” said Vijay Kirgandur, founder of Hombale Films.

The successes of KGF 2 and Kantara were such that they have enormously expanded the market for Kannada cinema. But, it’s only the beginning of a new journey. The film industry is now riding a popular wave and it mustn’t lose this phenomenal momentum.

KGF 2 was released in April 2022.

“These films (KGF 2 and Kantara) were huge blips. I’d say the Kannada film industry lacks consistency in terms of reach and business compared to Telugu and Tamil film industries. Once every two months, we should deliver a film that clicks with the audience everywhere. We should achieve that consistency. We should have an audience who comes out not just for these massive hits (KGF 2 and Kantara), but also our other films,” Pawan remarked.

Hombale Films has ushered in a new phase in the industry. It seems every fraternity member is now thinking about making films on a scale, which competes with big movies from other languages. But, the other stakeholders should not take the wrong lessons from the track record of Hombale Films. The production company is not in the business of just making tentpole movies. Instead, it is investing in films and talents it believes in. “It’s not like KGF worked, so they are doing movies only in that genre. They are doing movies across different genres and even in other languages. That’s a sign of a good production house,” said Pawan.

Hombale Films is also funding Pawan’s debut Malayalam movie Dhoomam, which stars Fahadh Faasil in the lead. “Hombale Films also knows how to take its films to a bigger audience,” he added.

Hombale Films has been a game-changer for the Kannada film industry. It has significantly raised the bar for Kannada filmmakers with films like the KGF series and Kantara. The work of filmmakers in Kannada will now be measured not against Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam or Hindi films, but against blockbusters from their industry.

“Fortune favours the brave. And we have tried to make a certain change in the way people perceive our industry,” Kirgandur said. “We believe in prioritizing quality over quantity. Our mission is to be a fresh and interesting voice that epitomizes the culture of our industry, and country and catches the attention of the audience.”

For decades, the film industry remained rigid in the ways it operated and made movies without adapting to the changing times. It wanted to stick to the tried-and-tested ways that ensured its survival and success. But, it all changed this year, not just on the box office front. The industry is undergoing metamorphosis on multiple and deeper levels.

Some Kannada films are breaking ground at the box office and some are garnering critical acclaim. On the other hand, the industry is also exporting its top talents to the neighbouring states on a scale never seen before.

Shivarajkumar in Jailer.

Prasanth Neel has lined up multiple projects with at least two big stars of Telugu cinema — Prabhas (Saalar) and Jr NTR. Hombale Films is making movies in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam too. Sudeep has already made his mark in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Rashmika Mandanna is one of the most sought-after female leads across the country. ‘Duniya’ Vijay has finished acting in his first Telugu film, Veera Simha Reddy — headlined by Nandamuri Balakrishna. Actor-filmmaker Raj B Shetty of Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana is making a movie in Malayalam. And the biggest among all is Shivarajkumar making himself accessible to filmmakers from other languages. He has at least two Tamil films, Jailer and Captain Miller, in the works.

Shivarajkumar is the son of acting legend Dr Rajkumar, who was in his time at the forefront of all trends that defined the Kannada film industry. In a way, the Rajkumar family has always been the bellwether of industry-changing trends. And judging from Shivarajkumar’s upcoming movies, the industry is becoming more open, dynamic, agile and beginning to tap its full potential.

2022 is the year that Kannada cinema arrived on the national stage. After decades of hibernation, the film industry finally woke up to the need for embracing competition for the growth of Kannada artists and art beyond its borders. And people across the country have richly rewarded the film industry’s baby steps towards the big league.