Kannada film shoots itself in the foot

Bangalore, Nov 27: Money, politics, emotion and violence are the filmi potboiler ingredients in the Kannada film industry imbroglio which is now being termed a blot on the IT capital’s international image as a cosmopolitan city.

However, the nearly four-month-long drama being played out here is more like a television soap with no end in sight and new twists and turns every week. On Monday, November 29, a meeting of all parties concerned - producers, directors, distributors and exhibitors - is planned in the hope of a consensus.

So far, there is little evidence to prove that the three week moratorium (reduced from an earlier seven weeks) on the release of non-Kannada films has benefitted the Kannada industry: though the Kannada Directors Association president SC Prasad, who is firm on the moratorium stand declares that the Kannada ticket collection scene has been “a little better”.

But, “Even if you slap a year-long moratorium on non-Kannada films, I will not watch a Kannada film,” rages an irate Kannada working woman, voicing the feelings of a large majority.

Calling the moratorium “morally and legally worng”, Bollywood actor- director Sanjay Khan says “It will do more harm than good to Kannada films.” Instead, he says, what the government should do is provide incentives for the industry so that it can bloom, also urging the industry to be more competitive and “let the horizon be larger”. The incentive idea is supported by exhibitors who have suggested that the entertainment tax collected on non-Kannada movies be made available for the production of Kannada films.

But beneath the din is unnoticed poignancy. The Kannada film industry is in dire straits. Unlike other language films which find a large faithful following in their own states, Karnataka is in the unique position of being an amalgamation of languages, says well-known theatre/film actor Prakash Belavady whose father was a make-up artist for Kannada films.