Kannadigas' love for alternative cinema grows
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The Kannada film industry is generally dominated by romance or action films which feature clichéd storylines and dull performances.
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However, of late big banner movies like Puneeth Rajkumar's Chakravyuha and Golden Star Ganesh' Style King have not struck a chord with viewers. The fact that such tent-pole productions have failed to run 'house-full' indicates a changing taste among Kannadigas.
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However, films without 'masala' have generally worked well. These simple stories feature lesser-known performers and have very strong storylines. Whether they are of the romantic, horror or thriller genre, a common thread among these films is the lack of over-the-top 'filmy-ness' traditionally associated with Kannada productions.
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The current crop of successful movies in theatres right now bears testament to this.
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Pawan Kumar’s thriller U-Turn has hit the screens and is receiving an excellent response. Raam Reddy's Thithi has already gained a cult following and high praise from critics. Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar’s Ishtakamya, a simple romantic story sans mass elements like 'heroism' and 'glorified fights' is also running to packed houses across Karnataka.
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Taking a cue from the audience response, Sandalwood is now set to release a slew of realistically-crafted movies.
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Take for example Karva, whose just-released trailer is generating high expectations. The film is produced by Krishna Chaitanya, who had earlier made 6-5=2, which was also a horror flick and very successful. So successful in fact that the film is being remade in Hindi by Bollywood.
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For Karva, the director (debutant Navneeth) is betting the success of the film on how differently they made the otherwise usual 'ghost in a bungalow' plot. Another horror movie named Mummy, with a tag line 'Save me', is also on the cards.
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Whether these particular movies work or not, only time will tell. However, they are a clear indication that Sandolwood has begun to expand its horizons.