With new releases this Friday, Sandalwood would have witnessed over 100 movies hitting the screens in 2017 – and it’s still just July! With five months to go, there is every chance that we will see over 200 releases this year! In the past couple of weeks alone, there have been a sudden rush of films queuing up for release, with up to eight films releasing every single Friday. Bengaluru Chronicle finds out the sudden logic behind the rush.
“Last week, at least seven Kannada movies were released and prior to that, six movies were released. Even this Friday, the trend will continue. It’ll possibly take another week or two before normalcy returns with just one or two films hitting the screens. One of the biggest reasons is the absence of movies from big banners scheduled for release. Also, movies featuring superstar heroes and theatre availability play a huge role in such scenarios,” says Kannada film historian Vijay Kumar.
He further explains that the projects of newcomers, experimental movies, and movies without star actors and technicians, who cannot pull the audience to theatres, prefer to quietly release their films during the absence of star/big budget films. “They would rather release their films along with several other movies than trying hard to release during big releases. There are also chances of a good movie getting lost when released against the big movies. Recently, Ondu Motteya Kathe was released along with six other movies, and the majority of the audience who would have watched their favourite star movies, gave it a try with no big movie releases on the day of its release, and they totally love it.”
As far as possible returns for the producers who release their films is concerned, Manohar, a film technician says that it is all about taking the risk. “When a film is completely ready for release, any further delay would seriously hamper the financial returns. Almost all producers would have raised money through financiers on high-interest rates. An average film maker has to fight for the availability of theatres after all the permutation combinations in accordance with big banner and star actor’s movies. So, when there are no such releases for a week or two, they just push it for release. It is nothing but a litmus test, as the success of the movie will be purely based on its content and its making,” says Manohar.
With dwindling number of single screen theatres across the state, especially in major cities which are witnessing a rise in multiplexes, first-time Kannada moviemakers are finding it hard to get their pet projects released. On one hand, the market is driven by the star force, and availability of theatres and finally the huge competition of other language films.
So, next time you are trying to book a ticket for Kannada movie and witness more than half-a-dozen new releases, these are the reasons behind the rush!
