2022 will be known as the year that Kannada cinema conquered the pan-India box office in its truest sense. Just three films – KGF 2 (Rs 1,250 crore), Kantara (Rs 400-plus crore), and Vikrant Rona (Rs 100-plus crore) – put the industry on everyone’s radar. Puneeth Rajkumar’s posthumous release James raked in about Rs 150 crore too. Suddenly, everyone was talking about ‘Kannad’ cinema, and also learnt to add the missing ‘a’ while at it.
But is Kannada cinema just about those films that did well at the turnstiles? Most definitely not. Every year, there are a bunch of films that slip into the cracks of box office numbers, but eventually find their destiny among the audience. Cult classics, we call them later, applying the balm of nomenclature on deep hurt. These films, in fact, reflect more Kannada-ness than the commercial potboilers that do well.
This year, that number was a lot more than usual. The range was immense — from non-dramatic family dramas to time loop films and more, all films that deserved much love at the box office. Some managed to find some sort of an audience in a theatre or two. But many received love on OTT. Some are awaiting an OTT release. Some directors received messages from the audience who watched it on their laptop screens, apologising for not taking the time out to watch the film in a theatre. Some delight in the online conversations about the film in a state far away from Karnataka, but where the film resonated.
These directors are precious talents who need box office affirmation too, so that they continue creating stellar original work, and don’t turn into makers of generic cinema that does not bear the scent of the place it is rooted in. I spoke to three of them, and they all wonder what else they could have done to draw the audience into the theatre. Were they caught in the storm of big-ticket films? Should they start thinking commercially? Should they start putting stars above the script? Will they continue to find producers who back such cinema? Or should they console themselves with the succour they found on OTT?
Here’s a list of five films released till December 20, 2022, that truly deserved better box office reception.
The title of director Hemanth Kumar’s film means emergency exit, which is what happens to unemployed but happy-go-lucky Vikram (Suneel Rao in a very empathetic portrayal), who is given an emergency ticket out of life. He wakes up in a mortuary in a daze, hearing his family weep outside. Two people (a nurse played by Sudharani and Jeevan played by Achyuth Kumar) come to take him to the afterworld, and Vikram is loath to make the transition. These portions are fabulously done.
When the protagonist is given a chance to relive his life, at the hands of anyone else, he might have turned into a saint who does all the right things. But Hemanth never lets Vikram change his character dramatically — he remains self-absorbed and hopes to conquer death, until he finally realises what is actually important. Between birth and death is life and Hemanth’s film throws the spotlight on what really matters. This film triggered quite a few conversations on social media, and people loved the time loop sequences. Also watch for Aruna Balraj’s fabulous turn as Vikram’s mother.
Thurthu Nirgamana is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch trailer here:
Director Sridhar Shikaripura draws up a fascinating world of crime and punishment, love and break-up, the struggle to eke out a dignified life in the city, drug trade and women trafficking, all without taking the moral high ground. People make mistakes, and they pay the price. Those who get stuck in a terrible situation due to circumstances/coincidence find that the universe conspires to help them when hope is bleak. What charmed me most about the beautifully written and crafted film is the hope that floats, and the sheer confidence that a character (Naveen Shankar) displays when he knows he’s right, even in the presence of all the wrong men. It’s nice to see a spine of steel in a non-gym-toned body!
Sridhar extracts some great performances from his actors and beautifully weaves the plot’s various strands together in this hyperlink film. The tech team is superb too — cinematographer Keertan Poojary goes all out during a character’s drug-induced psychedelic state. Editor Ujwal Chandra and composers Ronada Bakkesh and Karthik Chennoji Rao lift the film several notches.
Watch trailer here:
The fact that this film is on many yearender lists is proof of how much those who saw it loved it. It’s not easy to create a family drama sans any drama, and just realistic moments. It is frankly difficult to keep all the characters in a non-confrontational space, especially when the topic being discussed is something as sensitive as whether to go ahead with an engagement or not. Sakutumba Sametha shows you that it is possible for people to be kind and good and still not want to be with each other. That it is fine to want to say no, and not rage and rant about it. That wanting a career is not a bad thing.
The film, co-written by its director Rahul PK and Pooja Sudhir, lets Shraddha (Siri Ravikumar) speak her mind and Suri (Bharath GB) respect that. Rakshit Shetty produced this gem of a film, which is a beautiful mirror to today’s society and the aspirations and yearning of women, across age barriers.
The supporting cast of the film is fabulous. Achyuth Kumar, Krishna Hebbale, Pushpa Belwadi, and Rekha Kudligi who play the parents with their own insecurities and quirks are a rare breed of onscreen parents. Their interactions — over bajjis, bad network, and more — leave you smiling.
Sakutumba Sametha is streaming on Voot.
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When you make a film about a traditional art that is dying due to lack of practitioners, the easiest option is to take the time-tested route of looking at the art form through rose-tinted glasses and insisting everyone is wrong for not taking it up. Director Sagar Puranik, mercifully, does just the opposite. He speaks of urban migration, but does not ridicule those who choose to move away from rural India. He shows how they have their compulsions that force them to give up an art form they love.
The film, which won the National Award for Best Kannada Film, is about a thundering percussion instrument. But it flows gently, and takes its time to speak of patriarchy, consent, the need to apologise, and the joy of opening one’s heart and mind to new possibilities. Dollu is not routine commercial cinema that merely doffs a hat to tradition to win brownie points. It actually delves deep into the art form of Dollu Kunitha.
The cast, led by Karthik Mahesh, is superb. Babu Hirannayya is refreshing as the village priest who looks at the big picture. Kudos to producers Apeksha Purohit and Pavan Wadeyar for backing this, and ensuring it got a decent release. The team also has integrity — when the film won a second National Award in a category it never applied for, the director was the first to speak up about it, and the team backed him. That award was later withdrawn.
Dollu is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch trailer here:
The making of Koli Taal is as interesting a story as the film itself. It was shot on a farm with very minimal internet access and erratic electricity during the monsoon months, the post production work was carried out during the pandemic, and more.
Despite this, it boasts some fine cinematography (Swaroop Yashwanth) and sound design (Brazilian Vithor Moraes). Abhilash who wrote, directed and starred in the film, along with Prabhakar Kunder and Radha Ramachadra who play the grandparents, brings alive life on a farm in Malenad to viewers. The story is simple. A chicken curry is to be cooked for the visiting grandson and the rooster goes missing. Has it flown away or has someone taken it? If not chicken, will a fish curry cut it? Or a fancy vegetable?
Radha is adorable as the grandmother who is broken that she can’t make what she intended for her grandson. Watching the film is like being given ringside passes to the happenings on a farm, all warts included. Precious.
Koli Taal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch trailer here: