The recent crop of Kannada films like Lucia, Rangitaranga, multi-award winning venture Thithi, U-Turn, Godhi Bana Sadharana Mykattu, First Rank Raju, Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu, Dana Kayonu, Idolle Ramayana, and many more including the latest Rama Rame Re... have proved that Sandalwood is back in its finest form with some talented new-age directors, especially first timers who do not shy away from experiments emphasising on the quality and essence of a good script, rather than just commercial and business agendas.
Jubilant over the kind of response such experiments have received, several film makers on a high from their recent successes have come together to share their experiences about the ongoing back to talent and good stories. Bengaluru Chronicle reports...
YOGARAJ BHAT
The director who broke several records with his milestone venture Mungaru Male is known for his style of film making, experimenting on a regular basis, at times winning and many a times losing too. He shares that bad films end up producing several assistant directors, and they in turn collaborate for a good film in the future.
“We used to hear that there were times when extremely good Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films were made, and now it’s again the turn of Kannada films,” says Bhat, adding, “Not all mainstream producers are willing to experiment. For them, all they want is a superstar in a complete masala package,” he quips.
PAWAN KUMAR
“The thought of U Turn occurred to me after we started interacting with netizens seeking answer on the dangers of badly maintained roads or specifically when obstacles such as rocks are haphazardly thrown in the middle of a busy roads,” says Pawan. The director further revealed that he is thinking about making a film about the steel flyover too. “Earlier profits have also helped in taking up other experimental films,” he adds.
HEMANTH RAO
When his first film Love Churmuri got shelved, he remained undeterred. Channelising his thoughts about making a film about Alzheimer’s patients, he visited such patients and did a lot of research before coming up with more than 15 different promos. It is only after receiving a positive response from the audience, Hemanth feels that he did Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, adding that the film makers had to first create a new audience for a particular film before giving them new projects.
EREGOWDA
Scripting the movie Thithi along with director Raam Reddy, Eregowda shares, “My close connection with my village helped me pen the script,” and moreover he feels that they learnt that with good technical knowledge, a good movie can be made, successfully.
PRAKASH RAJ
National award-winning actor-turned-director Prakash Raj’s venture Idolle Ramayana received a good response from critics though it failed to make a great impact at the box office. The director of Nanu Nanna Kanasu, Oggarane and Now Oggarane says that he is the only one amongst others in the recent lot who has done remake films. “My previous film incurred a loss of Rs 75 lakh due to various reasons. When smaller projects face such difficulties, it becomes difficult for new and deserving talent to emerge. However, films like Rangitaranga, U-turn, Godhi Banna.. have all earned both name and money even in markets abroad. These films have expanded the reach of Sandalwood, and such developments challenges remake films. The sole credit goes to this younger lot of directors. Even audiences have a larger role to play, and should come out more often in support of such films,” says Prakash Raj.
