Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare, made by newcomers, has brought much-needed relief to the Kannada film industry this year. Released on Friday, July 21, amid the ‘Barbenheimer’ frenzy, the campus comedy is standing on its own, unaffected by the hype around Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
Shot in the cinema verite style with a screenplay that throws juicy surprises at every turn, the film is mostly a laugh riot. Around 50,000 tickets were sold on the opening day while the count increased on Saturday, the makers told The Hindu. Loved by the college crowd, the film is expected to wrap up a terrific weekend with a strong performance on Sunday.
This is a welcome change for Kannada cinema as it had not witnessed a single blockbuster since the sensational hit Kantara, which came out on September 29 last year. With only a consolation in Daredevil Musthafa, the industry suffered a slump in the first half of this year after a memorable 2022.
Upset by the industry’s false promises, Kannada filmgoers shifted their attention to attractions such as the Indian Premier League and the Assembly elections. In the last two to three months, many single screens displayed ‘No show’ boards outside their premises while some remained shut for a week owing to terrible footfall.
“Theatre owners are experiencing loss. They are paying employees, hoping the situation will change soon,” said Muthappa R., manager of Bengaluru’s popular single screen Kamakya. “Big heroes should do at least two films a year,” he said.
Theatre owners are also upset with films being pushed to OTT platforms within a month of their release. A staffer from the single screen Sri Venkateshwara Chitramandira, which was shut for a week due to no major Kannada release in the second week of July, said, “A-list stars are only focused on doing pan-Indian films. Established stars are crowd pullers but they are taking a lot of time doing big-budget films.”
After a dull six months, Kannada cinema is bracing up for a jam-packed schedule with a good line-up of important films. “It always happens that either films come back to back or there is a long period of no big film, leaving theatres empty for four to five months,” said Suhas, lease owner of Chandrodhaya theatre. “In this kind of an atmosphere, if there is a sign of a film taking off slowly after impressive word of mouth, it will struggle for screens,” he added.
