A Fresh Dive away from Formula: Kannada Films of 2023
Last year this time, the whole of the nation was in the frenzy of one film; Rishab Shetty’s Kantara. A film which released with low marketing and supported by one of Karnataka’s biggest banners- Hombale films, made an impact everywhere it went. It was a film that celebrated the culture of the Bhoota Kola, the people of the forest, and more. After the first few days of its release, it was trending everywhere. People came out of theatres in Udupi and Mangalore with happy faces, and thanking Rishab Shetty for taking aspects of their culture to the masses.
For Kannadigas like me this was a moment of pride. A film that was deeply rooted within the culture and people of our land, getting the respect it deserves. The hope was that more filmmakers would take inspiration from this and more regional voices would emerge. The hope was that we would see a lot more concept films from our industry.
And so far, this year has not disappointed. The best films of this year have been highly concept driven, and we’ve had the emergence of some fantastic voices from all parts of Karnataka. And I’m more that convinced this effect is here to stay.
The Last Decade
The last decade for Kannada films has been a mixed bag. There have been some fantastic films, and some not so good ones. Consistency was not our strong suit. There came films like Lucia, Thithi, Rangitaranga, Ulidavadru Kandante and Ugramm in the first half of the decade, which pushed the boundaries forward. But there will were still plenty of remakes, films based on formula that felt exhausting to us as an audience.
The Break in the Pattern: 2016
2016 was the year where a lot of fresh voices came forward, beginning with Rishab Shetty’s Ricky, which was his debut as director. The film’s plot was set in the jungles of Karnataka. A love story with a backdrop of Naxal violence. Then came films like Godhi Banna which was helmed by debutant Hemanth Rao, Rama Rama Re by debutant Satya Prakash which were both critical successes.
Pawan Kumar’s second film- U Turn was a fantastic success as well. Suddenly the tide was turning. The year ended with Kirik Party, which was the biggest success of the year. Kirik Party was the first venture of Rakshit Shetty and the Seven Odds, a group which was formed exclusively to push the standard for writers in the industry.
2017 continued on the wave as well, with films like Operation Almalemma, Ondu Motteya Kathe (Raj B Shetty’s debut as actor and director) and Mufti. The rest of year however, was still filled with commercial films, with the industry still unwilling to experiment.
The major problem with some of the new concept films, at least according to the old guard, was that these films didn’t bring audiences into theatres. With the tried and tested stars, and the typical filmmaking formula of comedy, family and action, they were assured that the film would bring in the expected money.
Marketing, at least traditional marketing of the film could only do so much.
The Rise of Fantastic Talent
If the content is good, it speaks for itself. Even if films like Godhi Banna, Ricky were not commercial successes, it gave filmmakers like Hemanth Rao, Rishab Shetty the platform they needed. Their work has evolved miles and bounds since then. Along with directors, there were music directors such as Charan Raj, B Ajaneesh Loknath, Ravi Basrur, Midhun Mukandan bursting onto the scene who also started shaping the landscape
Even DOP’s such as Bhuvan Gowda, Advaita Gurumurthy, Arvind Kashyap brought in a fresh look to films. Films started looking better, sounding better, and that started to bring audiences into theatres.
2023: The Year for Kannada
What years like 2016, 17, 18 contributed to Kannada cinema, 2023 has taken into full stride with the same artists pushing the envelope and some more who have had the chance to introduce some fantastic stories
The credit goes to individual production houses and banners as well. Paramvah Studios, PRK Productions, Lighter Buddha Films, Hombale Films, Rishab Shetty Films have all pushed the envelope by empowering storytellers across Karnataka.
A special mention goes out to Rishab Shetty for implementing Katha Sangama back in 2018. The anthology film, saw the likes of Kiranraj K, Jai Shankar, Rahul PK come out with fantastic stories.
One of this year’s runaway hits has been Shashank Soghal’s Daredevil Mustafa, a fantastic adaption of a Poornachandra Tejaswi story. The film set in a simpler time, in a Karnataka village is the story that’s won my heart this year. Right from the music, to the setting, the memorable characters, it really felt like the words of Poornachandra Tejaswi were coming alive in front of my eyes.
Aachar and Co, by directed by Sindhu Sreenivas Murthy was also one of my favourite cinematic experiences. The cinematography by Abhimanyu Sadanan, the production design by Dannilla Correya and the music by Bindhu Malini creates a cinematic world that’s both real, nostalgic and deeply personal. One of my favourite memories of the film was watching it in a theatre filled with older people reminiscing about life in Bengaluru in the 60’s.
Raj B Shetty’s Toby is a film I’m yet to watch, but going from the reviews and the buzz, the film is yet another classic. Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) was Raj B Shetty’s first foray into darker themes, and it seems like he’s hit the jackpot once again. He’s collaborated with long time associate, music director Midhun Mukunadan (Ondu Motteya Kathe, GGVV, Mayabazar 2016) to create one of my favourite soundtracks of this year.
The two strongest films for me this year have been Saptha Sagaradaache Ello Side A (SSE) and Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare
SSE Side A
SSE, without a doubt is director Hemanth M Rao’s best work. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a director with such control over his craft. SSE isn’t your typical formula film. It’s a real story of a real couple faced with a problem that can literally happen to anybody. The leads Priya (Rukmini Vasanth) and Manu (Rakshit Shetty) lead us into a world that’s their own, and by the end of the film you feel like you’re in it.
The music by Charan Raj is phenomenal. His soundtrack makes you feel the emotions that the characters feel all through the film, and that is incredible. The visuals by Advait Gurumurthy, the screenplay by Hemanth Rao and Gundu Shetty, and finally the music by Charan Raj ties together like a beautiful puzzle.
There’s so much more to be said about SSE, and that deserves an article of its own. That being said, watch it while it is in theatres. The team is coming out with Side B next month, and the hype is real.
Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare
Chaotic, mad, hilarious; Hostel Hudugaru is that and more. The best film of this year by far. The film is inspired by the cinema verita style of Italy, but the flavour is pakka local. The film is about a group of hostel boys, and how a single event unites them. Shot mostly handheld, the film is a funny, crazy ride.
The director Nithin Krishnamurthy, fuses genres and creates a film which is truly memorable. Pop culture references and humour that is incredibly self-aware. This is a film that is not trying to be more than it is, which is refreshing to see. It’s a story about hostel boys, who are still yet to wake up to the ways of the real world and their world is their hostel life.
More to come this year is SSE Side B, Swati Muttina Male Haniye and Uttarakanda which all have had some fantastic previews. There are also films like Pedro and Shivamma and Photo which have been getting rave reviews in film festivals.
All in all, this year has been a promising one, and a year for consistency like no other for Kannada cinema. Here’s to more!
