Friday flurry: 45 films to hit the screens

Bengalureans can look forward to a visual extravaganza with a record 45 flicks in various languages being released in the city on Friday.

Though the city has 100 single-screen movie halls and 40 multiplexes which can accommodate the flood of films, the number of releases defies the ceiling fixed by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC).

The 45 films include nine Kannada movies, including ‘Brahmachari’, ‘Damayanti’, ‘Mookajjiya Kanasugalu’, ‘Mundina Nildana’, eight Telugu, six each from Bengali and Hindi, four Malayalam and three each from Tamil and English. The presence of Punjabi and Bhojpuri movies in the list further enriches the cosmopolitan image of the city.

Films with certificates from regional film chambers have been flooding theatres during the last two months of the year. Producers become competitive as they vie for theatres to ensure the movies get released by the end of the year, to become eligible for getting the government subsidy.

However, the high number of films from other states has posed a problem for Kannada film producers. The competition commission has barred film chambers from limiting the number of such films.

In 2018, Sandalwood stood first in the country by producing 243 of the 1,776 films produced in the entire country.

KFCC chairman D R Jairaj said the chamber has not been able to enforce the rule, formed eight years ago, limiting the number of Kannada releases due to lack of cooperation from the producers.

“The rule has not been implemented as producers are keen on releasing the movie on a date favourable to them. They come to the chamber only while registering the title. Big producers release their movie in 90% of the theatres, putting others under pressure,” he said.