Kannada cinema beyond Bengaluru

Fresh new films are rewriting the rules, and the government needs to do its bit to take filmmaking to the districts, writes Pranati A S

Kannada cinema is expanding outside Bengaluru, and winning international acclaim in the process.

Natesh Hegde’s ‘Pedro’ and ‘Vagachipani’ (both set in Uttara Kannada district), Utsav Gonwar’s ‘Photo’ (Raichur district), Jaishankar Aryar’s ‘Shivamma’ (Koppala district), and Ganesh Hegde’s ‘Neeli Hakki’ and ‘Kurka’ (Uttara Kannada) are showcasing a Karnataka hitherto neglected by mainstream cinema. 

Many of these filmmakers hail from smaller cities and towns, but travel to Bengaluru for post-production. “Coming to the city is in itself a challenge,” says Utsav Gonwar, who hails from Maski in Raichur district. The culture shock can strip filmmakers of all their confidence, he observes. 

“The industry is highly concentrated in Bengaluru,” says Ivan D’Silva, film critic and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy member. Filmmakers from the Mangaluru region rely on Bengaluru for everything from camera and equipment to technicians, he says. 

“When Jayan Cherian was shooting for the film ‘Rhythm of Dhammam’ in Yellapur, his crew could not even get hard disks from nearby towns. This is just one example,” he says. 

They were able to access drones, though. Drones are popular as they are widely used in wedding photography. No other material was available in Hubli, Sirsi or Honnavara, according to Ivan. “Decentralising will work wonders for the cinema industry,” he says. 

Director Ganesh Hegde, who hails from Honnavara in coastal Karnataka, says, “We are mostly dependent on metro cities for colour grading and mixing studios and camera and lighting equipment providers. But they are just a phone call away. I can sit in Honnavara and make a film,” he says. 

With easy access to software and technology, filmmakers are able to do some of their work remotely. To edit a film, all they need is a good laptop. Easy Internet access has brought in many conveniences. “If I trust my sound engineer, I don’t even have to go to his location,” he says. 

Shivamogga-based Abhilash Shetty, director of fresh films like ‘Koli Taal’ and ‘Naale Raja Koli Majaa’, wrapped up most of his post-production from home.

With the Tulu film industry taking big strides, and many Kannada films coming from Udupi and Mangaluru region, studios are coming up there. “Udupi and Shivamogga have dubbing studios now and (camera and lighting) equipment is easily accessible. We don’t have to depend on big cities for everything,” Abhilash says. 

But when it comes to marketing, distribution and selling to OTT, all offices are located in the big cities. 

“We have dubbing studios in Shivamogga, Hubli, Kundapura... (Music composer) Ravi Basrur’s studio is located in Kundapura. Every district has at least one music recording studio now, and that kind of liberates us,” he says. 

Ravi Basrur composes music from his studio in Kundapura. Directors of blockbuster films travel all the way to the coastal town to work with him. “I wish every technician does that, and work is decentralised. It helps creativity,” Ganesh adds. 

Govt initiatives 

The Karnataka government recently sanctioned Rs 500 crore and 150 acres for a film city in Mysuru, coming up on the PPP model. “It is good that a film city is coming up in Mysuru, but we need such facilities in other parts of the state as well,” says Utsav. 

Film critic Harish Mallya believes that setting up a well-equipped studio in Hubli will benefit filmmakers hailing from the northern districts. “But just having a studio will not help. Someone has to nurture it,” he says.

BIFFes everywhere

Many film critics and filmmakers say the annual film festival hosted by the government of Karnataka in Bengaluru, BIFFes, should be taken to other cities as well. This will prepare the audiences for the experimental films that bright young filmmakers are making today, they say.

“The International Film Festival of Kerala is completely decentralised, and it has taken place in Kannur, Kochi and Thrissur. Such efforts should be made in Karnataka as well. Three days each in Davanagere, Gulbarga and a coastal city would be good. About Rs 11 crore is released every year and everything is being used up in Bengaluru,” Ivan says.

When T S Nagabharana was helming the Chalanachitra Academy when it was set up, Ivan recalls, film clubs were set up in colleges across Karnataka.   

Newer narratives

Kannada popular cinema for the longest time has been Old Mysuru (southern Karnataka) cinema. It saw a shift with the rise in Mangaluru dialect films brought in by Rishab, Rakshit and Raj B Shetty. But even today, a large number of our films are Bengaluru-centric.

“We are usually exposed to the stories and culture of our hometown. I am in Bengaluru for work, and we are like migrants here. If I can go back to my hometown, settle there and make movies there, it will be my first choice. The more we stay in the city, the more the city influences us,” says Ganesh, who with Natesh Hegde has started a production house called Fox and Friends to support young filmmakers. 

Yogaraj Bhat’s popular films ‘Mungaru Male’ and ‘Gaalipata’ are set in Madikeri and Kodagu. But these regions are shown from the lens of the protagonists who are Bengaluru boys on a vacation in the region. 

A more recent example is the Dhananjaya-starrer Gurudev Hoysala where the protagonist, a policeman, is transferred to Belagavi. The film tries to address caste and the problem of honour killing. However, it is viewed from a metropolitan lens. 

But films like ‘Ondu Motteya Kathe’ and ‘Ulidavaru Khandante’ are rooted in their regions.

Manujamatha Cineyana, (an organisation of cinephiles) conducts film festivals in the towns and villages of Karnataka. It hosted a two-day festival in Kottigehara, a small village in Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru district, recently. “About 80 people attended it and participated in the discussions. Once people are exposed to international films, more people will take up filmmaking. As more filmmakers start making films, we will have fresh perspectives,” Ivan explains.