'Natasaarvabhowma' sets new trend in Sandalwood

Taking a cue from 'KGF Chapter 1', the much-awaited 'Natasaarvabhowma' starring Puneeth Rajkumar is not only looking at unexplored frontiers like China but also had a unique midnight screening.

"The first show was held at Prasanna Theatre in Bengaluru at 10 pm on Wednesday. Including Urvashi Theatre, about 20 theatres will screen the movie at midnight," producer Rockline Venkatesh told DH.

'Natasaarvabhowma' is the first Kannada movie to be screened a day before its official release.

According to sources in the industry, the horror-thriller could beat 'KGF Chapter 1' in terms of the number of shows on Day 1 in Bengaluru.

In the city, the movie is likely to cross 550 shows on Thursday. All shows in 10 theatres in Bengaluru, four in Mysuru and two in Hassan have been booked in advance.

In many theatres, tickets have either been fast filling or booked till Sunday. Elsewhere in the state, shows are booked out in many theatres, Venkatesh said.

"We are completing formalities for the film's release in China, Japan and Korea. The work for the sub-titles in Mandarin, Nihon and Hangul, the official languages of the three countries, respectively, is in progress. We hope to release the movie in two week's time in these three countries," Venkatesh added.

KGF Chapter 1 was released in Korea and Japan, but not in China.

'Natasaarvabhowma' is set for the release at 75 screens in the US, UK, New Zealand and Australia next week. About two weeks later, the movie will be released in the UAE.

"The movie will hit the screens in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra on Friday. There is a demand to release the movie in 500 theatres, but we are releasing it in 350 theatres in Karnataka," the producer said.

Venkatesh has decided to remake the movie in Tamil and Telugu. "Based on the response, I will remake it in these languages. There is no question of dubbing," he clarified.

Puneeth's last film was 'Anjani Putra', released on December 21, 2017.