Kannada cinema: Debut directors shine in 2023

They explored new styles and themes, and some of their films scored at the box office as well, writes Pranati A S

The year that is drawing to a close witnessed a significant number of experimental films by debut filmmakers. Most did good business at the box office as well. Made on small budgets, the films received love from across the state and the country.

The unique colour palette, symmetrical frames and peppy music of Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy’s ‘Aachar & Co.’ evoked nostalgia about old Bengaluru. Heavily inspired by Wes Anderson aesthetics, the film is a gentle commentary on patriarchy and feminism. At a time when the Kannada film industry was feeling the absence of female directors, Sindhu’s love letter to yesteryear Bengaluru came like a breath of fresh air. 

'Aachar & Co.' by Sindhu Sreenivasamurthy.

Nithin Krishnamurthy’s ‘Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare’, a dark comedy drama set in a boys hostel, found love among all groups of the audience. The film also did good business with a theatrical share of Rs 7 crore, according to the social media site Karnataka Box Office. 

‘Daredevil Mustafa’, directed by Shashank Soghal and bankrolled by fans of writer Poornachandra Tejaswi, was a one of its kind crowd-funding effort that brought to light young and talented actors — particularly Shishir Baikady as Mustafa and Aditya Ashree as Ramanuja Iyengari. Made on a budget of Rs 1.25 crore, the film collected Rs 1.75 crore theatrically, according to the film’s director. 

'Daredevil Mustafa' by Shashank Soghal.

Amrutha Prem, actor Nenapirali Prem’s daughter, made her debut in Dhananjaya K A’s third production, ‘Tagaru Palya’. Directed by first-time director Umesh K Krupa, it is a social satire set around a sacrificial ritual in a Mandya village. The film opened to positive reviews. According to Dhananjaya, the film did good business theatrically. 

Sunil Mysuru’s ‘Orchestra Mysuru’, one of the first few films to hit the screen this year, did poorly at the box-office but received critical acclaim for the portrayal of the orchestra tradition in Mysuru. Poornachandra Mysore, one of the most underrated actors in the industry plays the lead. He was also seen in ‘Daredevil Mustafa’, ‘Shivaji Surathkal 2’ and ‘Tagaru Palya’.

Poornachadra Mysore in 'Orchestra Mysuru'.

Raj B Shetty starrer action drama film ‘Toby’ directed by first-time filmmaker Basil Alchalakkal opened to mixed reviews from critics. The film was criticised for its gory similarities to Shetty’s ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana’.

Pan-India fame

Hemanth M Rao’s much-awaited two part film ‘Sapta Sagaradaache Ello’ was released in Kannada and received pan-India fame. It was dubbed into Telugu and released theatrically. Debutant Rukmini Vasanth played the lead role and garnered critical acclaim for her performance. Chaitra B Achar, the lead in Side B, continues to take up challenging roles. The film, a dark romantic drama, received an approximate theatre share of Rs 16 crore (Side A and Side B), according to Karnataka Box Office. 

And the stars...

The most awaited film of 2023, Upendra-Sudeep starrer ‘Kabzaa’, opened to negative reviews and is considered a damp squib. Made with a budget of Rs 120 crore, it was able to recover Rs 27.19 crore, according to a financial news daily. The
R Chandru directorial was largely criticised for the film’s resemblance to the ‘KGF’ franchise. 

Darshan Thoogudeepa appeared in three films this year. While he played the lead in ‘Kranti’ and ‘Kaatera’, he made a special cameo in Yograj Bhat’s ‘Garadi’, which received mixed reviews. ‘Kaatera’, which takes a stand against casteism opened to positive reviews yesterday. 

With ‘Gurudev Hoysala’, a cop-drama, Dhananjaya K A made his 25th film mark. He also presented films like Orchestra Mysuru and Daredevil Mustafa. Penning lyrics for about 10 songs, Dhananjaya also established himself as a lyricist this year. He is now also the brand ambassador of Lidkar, a Government of Karnataka corporation for leather goods.

M G Srinivas’s ‘Ghost’, an action heist thriller that billed Shiva Rajkumar as Big Daddy, attracted the Kannada audiences. 

‘Banadariyalli’, a romantic travel drama starring Ganesh in the lead, also failed to impress. The film marked Rukmini Vasanth’s second film as lead.

The second instalment of Ramesh Aravind’s ‘Shivaji Surathkal: The Mysterious Case of Maayavi’ was underwhelming and opened to mixed reviews. The makers claim it was a commercial success.

Disappointments

Duniya Soori’s ‘Bad Manners’ can easily be termed the most disappointing film of 2023. Known for his distinct filmmaking style and action thrillers, he has delivered some fine films like ‘Duniya’, ‘Kendasampige’ and ‘Tagaru’. He let down fans with this one. 

‘Swathi Muttina Male Haniye’ directed by Raj B Shetty fizzled out soon after its release. It is actor Ramya’s first film as a producer under her banner of AppleBox Studios.

Festival fame

Debutante filmmaker Utsav Gonwar’s ‘Photo’ received critical acclaim when it was screened at the 14th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) this year. The film is about the plight of migrant workers during the Covid 19 lockdown. It won the third best film at BIFFes. The film hasn’t received a theatrical release yet. 

'Photo' by Utsav Gonwar.

Mansore’s ‘19.20.21’, a political drama based on the life of a young tribal journalism student fighting for his Constitutional rights, was released in March. The film opened to positive reviews but didn’t last long at the theatres. The film explored the importance of  articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. ‘19.20.21’ was screened at BIFFes and received a special jury mention. 

Jaishankar Aryar’s ‘Shivamma’, which received international acclaim in the previous year, was screened at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival along with Sumanth Bhat’s ‘Mithya’. Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara’ contested in the International competition section at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November this year and received the special jury award.

Set in north Karnataka, ‘Kshetrapathi’ by Shrikant Katagi was another important film of 2023. ‘Koushalya Suprajarama’, ‘Thotapuri 2’, ‘Raghavendra Stores’ and ‘Hondisi Bareyiri’ were some of the other films that released this year.