Vinay’s ‘Mundina Nildana’ to release in Singapore

Director Vinay Bharadwaj is excited about the film's release on December 14. He feels that more 20 percent of the audience will be non-Kannadigas as the film has subtitles.

Vinay Bharadwaj is on cloud nine as his feature film ‘Mundina Nildana’, will hit the Singapore film market on December 14, two weeks after it released in Karnataka.

The film, which is an urban tale starring Praveen Tej, Radhika Narayan and Ananya Kashyap in lead roles, impressed many here.

Vinay who moved to Singapore 15 years ago, realises the challenges faced by an Indian film to be released abroad are many.

He says, “Earlier, we used to see very few Indian films release in Singapore. In three to five months, one movie would be released by the Kannada Sangha but now there are a few players who contact the filmmakers in India directly and take things forward.”

Hindi films get a same-day release often but since the number of Kannadigas in Singapore are limited, Kannada films get around 1 or 2 screens. “Also the films which create a buzz in India are the ones which get eyeballs there,” he says.

Singapore is stringent in censorship even after a film has been given a censorship certificate by its respective country.

He details, “From violence to adult content, Singapore’s film board is very particular about the content released in the country. Our film has received an U/A (parental guidance and above 13 years of age) certificate in Singapore too.” Anu Shetty is helping in distributing the film there.

Other Kannada films that did well in Singapore recently are ‘KGF’, ‘Sa.Hi.Pra.Shaale, Kasaragodu’ and ‘Bell Bottom’.

What are your expectations from the film? He says, “Since I am based out of Singapore, I have my own group of people there that includes Kannadigas and non-Kannadigas. Of the audience, 10 to 20 per cent will be non-Kannadigas since the film has subtitles. I hope to reach out to Kannadigas and other Indians, with this film.”

Despite a large amount of films being released in Bengaluru in the last two weeks, ‘Mundina Nildana’ is still running at nine venues.

“It’s hard for a film which does not have an A-list star to survive through the second week with different screening venues. We are thankful that people have liked the film,” says Vinay.

The upcoming release of the film has got Vinay nervous. “The Indian audience treats films differently. Also, once they leave the country, the appreciation for the language increases automatically. Movies are a slice of culture and I’m hoping the film will be liked there too,” he says.