Revenue Minister V Sreenivas Prasad promised that he would take necessary steps for the establishment of the already assured Film City in Mysore.
He was a speaking at a workshop ‘Kannada Cinema: Challenges of Today’, organised by Dasara Film Festival Sub-Committee, here, on Sunday. “An advisory committee will be formed to look into the establishment of the Film City. Steps will be taken to allot land within a radius of 30 kilometres for the project,” he said.
Describing both small and big screen as powerful media, he lamented that the film industry has reached a stage, where people invest only to reap profits. “Moreover, cinema is hit badly by the popularity of the small screen,” he said.
Film director T S Nagabharana said, film enthusiasts should introspect if Kannada cinema has been able to maintain its identity in the competitive world. “Cinema should not be studied as a medium of entertainment alone. Researchers should explore the psycho-evolutionary aspect of this art form,” he said.
He said, the community aspect of films are being eroded, due to the glorification of a single person in movies.
Speaking in one of the sessions of the seminar, film director Yogaraj Bhat raised concerns over the decrease in the number of people who watch Kannada movies or read Kannada books. He said, the number of people with deep understanding of Kannada language is less. “Due to modern media, youth have an opportunity to develop their language skills, which is necessary for the survival of the language,” he said.
President of Kannada Film Director’s Association P H Vishwanath, speaking on the challenges posed by television on films, said, the major challenge for the cinema industry is to script a story that goes beyond the normal conventions of society, exhibited on the small screen.
Complaining about the shortage of audience for Kannada movies in theatres, he said, the State government should take steps to construct mini cinema halls at hobli, taluk and district levels.
