Some time ago, director Ram Gopal Varma had dared movie audiences to watch his sequel to Phoonk, all alone in theatres, claiming that it was the scariest! The braveheart would walk away with a prize of Rs 5 lakh. There were of course conditions to the contest, and some dared to give it a try. The director later claimed that a couple did try but eventually ran away from the theatre in just minutes into the film.
This is a phenomenon that has been prevalent since time immemorial, when filmmakers dare audiences, offering cash prizes and taunting them not to watch it alone! There is even a long list of films that come with a warning — ‘Do not watch it alone,’ to grab eyeballs. Now, a filmmaker has come up with a new challenge, this time, a laughable one. Actor and producer of Kannada film Nanjundi Kalyana has challenged the Kannada audience to take up his laughter challenge. There is another challenge for a film that offered a diamond necklace worth more than a lakh! Interested? Read on as the Bengaluru Chronicle reports on the challenging trends in cinema-going!
While many films are itself a challenge for the audience to watch in the first place, a few confident film makers dare to dare. Horror movies have been the top choice for such contests. However, in a first of its kind in Kannada movies, actor and producer Thanush Shivanna has challenged the audience to watch his upcoming film Nanjundi Kalyana. The challenge here is that the movie-goer should not laugh or smile till the film ends. If you able to do so, the one who succeeds will walk away with Rs 50,000 in cash. All one needs is to be deadpan, and straight-faced. Simple, isn’t it?
Thanush says that it was during one of the special screenings which he had organised for the Kannada audience (regular moviegoers and religious followers of Sandalwood) that it occurred to him. “I noticed that not even one person could stop their laughter throughout the film. The idea struck me and I have humbly put forth the challenge. It will be real fun,” he says.
What made him even more confident to make it public, he explains: “After realising that the movie was doing what it intended to do as a comedy movie, I showed it some real ‘serious’ folk including my father who rarely watches movies, and his friends. All of them are pretty sombre, serious minded when it comes to laughing their hearts out. When I saw them break down laughing, I decided to take it to the next level.”
The content is what makes this film special, it is definitely a first of its kind in Kannada. “It is about guy who married a guy. There is situational humour, and nothing is squeezed to force the humour. Don’t believe me, kindly watch Nanjundi Kalyana,” he says. The film is directed by Rajendra Karanth, who stars in the lead himself with actress Shravya.
There is also another lucrative offer which has popped up recently. Renowned director S Narayan has announced the latest challenge for the film-goer. This is not a dare though, it’s more a suggest-and-win kind of offer. He has offered a diamond necklace worth more than a '1 lakh for the winner who suggests a title for his new film. The director already has a couple of titles on his list. “If anyone suggests the closest one, they can win the necklace,” he adds. To make it easy, the director reveals that the film revolves around the concept of generation gap. While signing off, he even reveals that the title would be close to a selfie stick, and a present generation smartphone. Any guesses, folks?
