Hitting the web at once

For the first time in the history of Kannada cinema, a movie will premiere simultaneously in theatres and online on YouTube. Starting this trend is none other than Indrajit Lankesh, whose film Dev Son Of Mudde Gowda released this week.

But although Kannadigas across the world will be able to view it online, those in India will not be able to. “I would prefer it if they come to the theatres instead,” explains Indrajit. This initiative, he says, was introduced solely for viewers abroad. While there have been sites providing online viewing of Kannada films, this will be the first time a movie is uploaded on the day of its release.”

“The film has created a hype and people living outside the country will be eager to watch it. So why deny them the opportunity? This is why we worked out a deal with the site and now it’s there for the world to see,” he says.

There will be a charge of two dollars per viewing, informs Indrajit. “We have also ensured that no one will be able to download the film, so we can curb piracy of the movie,” he adds.

The director wants to reach out to non-Kannadigas as well, which is why he will soon be uploading the film with subtitles. “We are working on the sub-titling right now and once it is ready, we will release the film again. That way, it can reach out to a larger audience,” he adds.

Interestingly, Indrajit has also ensured that movie theatres will have no huge cut-outs of the actors in the movie.
“I have always been against these cut-out figurines in front of theatres. I find that really silly. The movie should be in the limelight, not hero worship. Which is why I have not made any cut-outs and placed only posters of the movie in the form of balloons,” he says.
So does his hero have any issues with this move? “Diganth is a director’s actor. He has always supported my vision so there is no issues there,” he sums up.