Culture
Out of the woods
Cinema
The Kannada film industry, referred to as ‘sandalwood’ (copying the nomenclature of Hollywood and Bollywood, it borrows the name from the tree that the state is famous for), is estimated to be worth about ₹ 300 - 350 crore ($ 50.7 - $ 59.2 million approximately), and churns out close to 130 films annually.
About 37 percent of Kannada movies made until 1971 starred the late Dr Rajkumar as the hero (an astounding 138 of the 367 Kannada movies) and his last and 212th movie Shabdavedi in 2000 was the 2,030th Kannada film
E
ven in the days of digital downloads and satellite TV, Karnataka has 700 theatres screening films; certainly the film industry here has come a long way from the initial days of lack of financiers. In 2013, about 133 Kannada movies were released (the highest so far) and approximately 3,300 Kannada movies have been released since the time the very first film Sati Sulochana in 1934. Genesis While Gubbi Veeranna made the first Kannada silent film His Love Affair in 1928, it is YV Rao, (veteran actress Lakshmi’s father) who is credited with the first Kannada movie talkie (with sound) Sati Sulochana in 1934. This film was made in Chatrapathi studio in Kolhapur, the second film Bhaktha Dhruva in Hyderabad and the third Sadarame in Madras. Kannada films in the 60s and 70s were noted for story-based plots that impressed audiences. To name a few, School Master, Kittur Chennamma, Chandavalliya Thota, Naandi, Satya Harishchandra, Gejje Pooje, Namma Makkalu, Sri Krishan Devaraya, Sharapanjara, Saakshathkaara, Bangarada Manushya, Nagara Haavu, Gandhadagudi, Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu,
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Best of Bangalore
Chomana Dudi, Ghatashraddha, Kaakana Kote, Ondanondu Kaladalli, Ranganayaki, Pallavi Anu Pallavi, Bettada Hoovu, Accident, Premaloka, Tarka, Ganeshana Maduve, Mutthina Haara and Aapthamitra. Original and thought provoking films have been made by GV Iyer, BR Panthulu, Puttanna Kanagal, BV Karanth, MS Sathyu, Girish Karnad, Girish Kasaravalli, Suresh Heblikar, T S Nagabharana, Baraguru Ramachandrappa, among others. Girish Kasaravalli has won 13 National Awards and global acclaim for his work spanning more than four decades in Ghatashraddha, Tabarana Kathe, Thaayi Saheba, Dweepa, Akramana, Mooru Daarigalu, Bannada Vesha, Mane, Kraurya, Hasina, Naayi Neralu, Gulabi Talkies, Kanasemba Kudureyaneri and the recent Koormavatara. Other directors like Dinesh Baboo, MS Rajashekar, Sunil Kumar Desai, D Rajendra Babu, Rajendra Singh Babu, Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, Dwarakish, HR Bhargava, Harsha, Kavitha Lankesh, Prakash, A M R Ramesh and V Ravichandran have also played a big role in keeping Kannada cinema alive.