Four Kannada films were released in theaters two days after the arrest of Kannada star Darshan for a murder, but it was unclear how audiences who had been following the crime incident on TV news channels would respond. People, as film makers say, are already reluctant to go to cinemas so with channels solving the case in an interesting way, it became an irresistible crime saga.
Certainly, when it is such a highly publicized murder case, media coverage cannot be avoided. However, this becomes an issue when one person’s actions for personal reasons affect the entire industry’s reputation. People were discussing in social media how “Kannada cinema had received a blow” because of the murder case. Industry insiders dismiss this argument as complete rubbish though. Any critique of an industry must come from its content and broader cultures; so if at all there was one film that deserved attention throughout that criminal saga then it was Shivamma, the latest Kannada movie.
Jaishankar Aryar makes his directorial debut with Shivamma produced by Rishab Shetty which bagged the top award at Busan International Film Festival 2022 and made rounds at prestigious festivals worldwide making them one of those films you see first just because they’ve won awards. Celebrated only by some families and ardent film buffs alike, this small section had time together watching Shivamma before things went back to normal after Darshan’s arrest had put strain on the sector itself.
The plea for viewers to support movies like Shivamma show us that no single actor represents an entire industry hence life goes on. Therefore, Dhananjaya’s Kotee falls under this category and it tells a story about middle class man’s struggles among other important releases of the week which deserve a visit to cinemas.
Don’t blame
Talking to journalists “Kiccha” Sudeep spoke directly about the matter..”‘We need justice for victim’s family and our only concern must be about this. We are not siding with anyone. More importantly, the film industry should not have been blamed for all this. An industry is no one person but rather a host of thousands working tirelessly to keep it alive and so each time there is a problem that arises, the whole industry gets tangled up in it,” he said. The actor’s comments imply a solution to the case lies with investigation and legal processes.
This controversy shows one big negative aspect of the movie world. Big names do not speak out in these circumstances due to clout and influence as is evident here. While actor Ramya/Divya Spandana criticized Darshan for “taking matters into his own hands,” actor/director Upendra called for greater transparency in investigative procedures. It would strengthen their cause if these established individuals also spoke against other entrenched malaises such as lack of good writers or an unhealthy democratic environment for women considering #MeToo allegations from female artistes were responded by industries this way.
In a transition period
The industry of Kannada movies is moving from one phase to another. This has been contributed by the rise of OTT platforms and stiff competition posed by other competing industries which has pushed young filmmakers to experiment with different and fresh movie ideas (Shakhahaari, Blink). Nevertheless, a trivial dispute that appeared to be personal should not cripple the capacity of this industry as it would destroy the confidence of these youngsters. The Kannada fans must therefore appreciate what these people are doing so that they could belong here, rather than forcing them out.” These are pleas made by people close to the industry.
On their part, artists need to win back people’s trust through responsible handling of fame. It served as a wake-up call for many up-and-coming stars who thought being famous was forever; they didn’t do enough to protect it.
Curiously, Darshan’s Kaatera is the highest grosser at present. The rural action drama released in 2023 on the last Friday celebrating its 100-day run in theatres. After a not-so-great first half year, Kannada cinema looks set for an exciting second half of 2024.
A Balanced Approach
There is a good mix between content driven movies and big budgeted star-centric films in this industry now. But promoting films poses massive difficulties for directors due to how social media becomes congested with contents about murder cases most especially.
Actor-director Rakshit Shetty amidst queasy atmosphere announced the release date of his production house’s maiden web series (Ekam) on June17th . “Good cinema can be born anywhere, and most definitely it can be born in Kannada,” says showrunner/filmmaker Sumanth Bhat regarding his series’ promo video. Only by slowly ignoring this condemned incident will artistes, fans and filmmakers move forward in positive spirit.
