Kannada cinema 2024: Fresh ideas and two big hits

For Kannada films, 2024 was marked by new narratives from young directors. As the year draws to a close, Upendra (UI) and Kiccha Sudeep (Max) are stealing the thunder with two blockbuster hits.

For the Kannada film industry in the year that was, young directors brought interesting narratives to the table, and commercial success had to wait till December.

Blink, directed by Srinidhi Bengaluru, was a sleeper hit, even if its success was small by star standards. Influenced by folk music, Kannada theatre, and Greek mythology, the film explored the sci-fi time travel idea.

While most films intending to be pan-Indian failed, Blink turned out to be a surprise pan-Indian film, dubbed into five languages and finding love on OTT. 

Shakhaahaari, directed by Sandeep Sunkad, follows the lives of innocent people getting intertwined in a murder mystery. The film received critical acclaim and did fairly well at the box office. 

Directed by Utsav Gonwar, Photo, a socio-political commentary on the plight of migrant workers during the pandemic, also won critical appreciation. Prateek Prajosh’s Chilli Chicken was also an effort to stress on the lives of migrant workers in Bengaluru. Observing chefs and waiters from the Northeast working in Chinese hole-in-the-wall restaurants across Bengaluru led Prateek to capture their hardships.

The same urban landscapes of Bengaluru, captured beautifully in Arvind Sastry’s Bisi Bisi Icecream, reveal the city’s underbelly. Through a slow-paced narrative, the film follows the lives of two characters trying to make ends meet. They eventually fall into the hands of a notorious pimp (portrayed by a wonderful Gopal Deshpande). 

In a similar attempt to show Bengaluru’s underbelly, Akarsh H P’s Family Drama, billed as a black comedy, follows a family driven by selfish motives. To earn quick money, they take on their dead father’s unfinished job of killing a local don, notorious for his 35 murders and 67 “half murders” (a striking performance by Poornachandra Mysore).

Bengaluru’s aesthetics and Goan monsoon came together in Chandrajith Belliappa’s Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali. Taking inspiration from O Henry’s Last Leaf and Erich Segal’s Love Story, it was a heartwarming romantic drama. Goa once again came alive on screen in Pradeep Varma’s Murphy, a film that explored missed chances through a time travel narrative. Underrated actor Prabhu Mundkur, who plays the lead in Murphy, shines once again in Maryade Prashne directed by Nagaraja Somayaji.

Champa Shetty’s Koli Esru, set in the 1980s, follows Huccheri battling many odds to be able to make chicken curry for her young daughter. Like in Tagaru Palya in 2023, Rangayana Raghu scored with his rib-tickling humour in Moorane Krishnappa, also set against a rural backdrop. Mithilesh Edavalath’s Roopantara, an anthology film, features an old nomad in a dystopian world recalling four stories that speak of ethics and change. 

Global acclaim

Jaishankar Aryar’s tale of a witty and funny middle-aged woman, Shivamma Yarehanchinala travelled around the world winning awards. It captures what happens in a village when a multi-level marketing firm enters it.

Hadinelentu, directed by Prithvi Konanur, received global acclaim and was released in theatres this year. The film comments on gender, caste and economic inequalities through an incident involving two teenagers. 

My Hero by debutant Avinash Vijaykumar that went unrecognised when it was released caught the attention of film festivals across the world. 

Disasters

Druva Sarja’s Martin was the biggest disaster of the year — both in terms of box office and content. Made on a budget of Rs 80-150 crore, the film struggled to make Rs 25 crore, according to online portal Jagran. 

Santosh Anandram’s ‘Mr and Mrs Ramachari’, a film that put Yash in the limelight, completed 10 years on December 25. Anandram’s latest ‘Yuva’ is perhaps his weakest film. The film tries to tackle multiple problems in a clichéd narrative. It marked Yuva Rajkumar’s debut. 

Stars

The biggest hit of the year so far is perhaps the Duniya Vijay starrer Bheema. Made on a Rs 8 crore budget, it collected Rs 23 crore, according to some reports. However, while the film was appreciated for its message, it was criticised for mindless action and objectification of women. 

The prequel to the much loved Mufti (2017), Bhairathi Ranagal starring Shivarajkumar, failed to impress the audiences. Srii Murali as a superhero made a mark in the action-packed adventure ‘Bagheera’.

While most of Sandalwood’s stars preferred action-packed narratives, Ganesh stuck by the good-old romance. Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi is not his best film but the audiences loved it. The song Dwapara, sung by the young Jaskaran Singh, went viral for its catchy tune. 

Fans of Upendra had waited for the longest time to see him return as a director. UI was received with much fanfare. Although the movie had a disclaimer, “Intelligent people please don’t watch the movie,” everyone seemed to watch it till the end.

Upendra delivers an important message with his eccentric drama UI.

With the release of Max, starring Sudeep, the following week, the audiences are divided between two blockbuster films. 

Kannada cinema celebrated its 90th anniversary in March. It wasn’t a glorious year at the box office till December. The fresh narratives from young directors were creditworthy but the lack of stars meant that they were watched by small audiences. With more exposure to global content, film buffs today are more intelligent than movie makers with formulaic ideas. This demands that the directors up their game and the stars look for better scripts.