Success or quality?

Co0nstant Dilemma

In the film industry, the success of a commercial film is always decided by its collection at the box office.  At the same time, the success of an art film depends on the number of awards it receives.

It’s rare to see an an art film garnering commercial success and a commercial film being appreciated by the niche audience.  Time and again, some enthusiastic film-makers have tried to bridge the gap between the two genres. However, the difference is only getting wider.

The entry of young and talented directors in the industry has raised new hopes. But the million dollar question is whether they will be able to change the attitude of the audience and the industry? Will a viewer, who is overburdened with the song-and-dance routine, get to watch quality entertainers?

“Of course,” says Jayathirtha, who recently forayed into direction through the commercial venture Olave Mandara. The young director has a solid theatre background and got rave reviews for his out-of-the-box story. Jayathirtha promises to deliver more such films which will bring together all kinds of audience, who he believes, are segregated into many classes.

“In Olave Mandara, there is not a single vulgar dialogue or bloodshed. All family members including children can watch this movie.  Though it is a commercial film, the subject has been handled in an artistic way. So it cannot be compartmentalised as an art or mainstream cinema. It is a movie for all,” says Jayathirtha who stresses on the need to fine tune the existing format.

“I personally feel there is a lack of willingness in the industry to connect to the diverse audience.  And it is not easy to bring together all kinds of audiences as each section is prejudiced about film genres.

Today, no director wants his film to be reviewed as an artistic or realistic movie, because he thinks this will keep the audience away.  There is a need to eradicate this false notion about artistic cinema and inform viewers that films like Olave Mandara will also have entertaining factors along with simple yet important ideas,” he says.

Dwarki Raghava, who directed the critically-acclaimed Matte Mungaru, is now in a dilemma over choosing subjects for his movie. Though Matte Mungaru was an excellent film, its commercial failure has forced Dwarki to rethink his strategies.

“I don’t want to make a run-of-the-mill project. All those who saw Matte Mungaru were full of praises for the film. In spite of that, it didn’t fare well at the box office.  I feel the film was not a failure. But somehow we failed to cash in on all the good reviews the film got. But whatever happens, I won’t take up routine projects. Failure cannot deter me from experimenting. I will fight with all my strength to revive the industry standards and subject treatment,” he confirms.

Rajguru, a film enthusiast, appreciates the efforts these new generation film-makers have been putting in and says such film-makers should not give up.

“Matte Mungaru was a milestone in the Kannada industry. But when the movie failed, Dwarki Raghava was sidelined. Certainly, he deserves the encouragement and support of the industry and the audience. As budding artistes, we look up to young minds for inspiration. If they succeed in their efforts, the upcoming film-makers will have the courage to try out new themes.”