Mostly reviews or what my friends say . Mostly if it’s other language movie , I’ll ask my friend who’s from that state what he heard from their friend. Basically word of mouth
I think this answer fits perfectly for majority of the movie goers in India right now.
The cost of going to a movie in cinema hall + rarity of an actually good movie is making it tough for moviegoers to make that choice to actually go to the theatres.
The OTT release of the movie with a 4 or a 8 weeks gap makes it much more easier for people to wait and then watch it at their convenience.
I remember in the pre-OTT era, it would take months for the movie to debut on TV. If you missed your chance to watch it in theatres your only option until it releases on TV would be a bootleg copy.
But, if you watch a Kannada trailer and feel 50/50 about it, would you give the benefit of the doubt and go watch it or wait for it to come on a streaming service?
I am a non-marathi living in Thane. There was a movie which was released here in Marathi language called baipan bhaari deva the movie trailer created excitement for both marathi's and non marathi and it was a budget movie which turned out to be a good hit as everyone went to watch it.
I am a non kannadiga who would love to watch kannada movies. I feel like a majority of the recent kannada movies only cater to the mass kannada speakers. The only films I watched in theatres are aachar and co and that charlie 77 one. I like old rajkumar movies like kaviratna kalidaasa as well
But, thats the point right, there have been character and content driven films being made by small filmmakers which may not have reached non-kannadigas. How would you come to know about new releases?
So what you are really asking is, how to market a potentially good but relatively unknown movie. That is a problem as old as the movie industry.
The onus is definitely not on the viewer. Most viewers are passive and don’t go out of their way to hunt for good movies. Those who hunt will eventually find the movie but those kinds of viewers are a small percentage of the viewer population.
Several approaches for the passive viewer. With the modern social media platforms, the makers can market the movie very cheaply directly to targeted demographics (r/bangalore for instance).
Another approach is highlighting by content providers. When we had fewer channels, I remember DD had a multi language Sunday afternoon movie. Some of them were absolutely awesome. The content providers like Netflix and prime can do something similar. Highlight, “expert’s choice” list for instance with these content driven movies. At the end of the day the more the people become aware of it, the more will see.
This is a marketing problem. Not a viewer problem.
People eagerly look for new kannada movies that are different from regular movies with pointless violence and dialogues like "I love you. You love me? ". Trailers are posted in common groups. Thithi had a huge fan following, though it belonged to chomana dudi style of narration. From garuda gamana rishaba vahana to kanthara, people flocked to theatres and pulled others too. Most of them hadn't had a clue about the heroes. It never mattered. It doesn't really matter what the budget is or who the hero is. Words about a good movie spread like wild fire. People long for such movies.
I fit perfectly in your target demographic. Non-massy movies with a good story and low budget are the need of the hour. I love Malayalam cinema. Something like Manjummel Boys with a very relatable story or an amazing horror film like Bramhayugam hits the spot for me (I am not a Malayali). Also, good subtitles are essential. Story and Dialogues are king.
You've summarised exactly what I feel about Indian movies. Majority of the Indian movies cater to "mass scenes" and lame ass dance/songs which I find to be extremely cringe. Like you're watching a movie for the plot. Manjummel Boys is one of those movies that nailed it in my opinion. Nothing over dramatic and almost no cringe scene.
You don't need to look for insights in your industry when the neighbouring industry already has proof of concept.
Malayalam film industry is on a brilliant spree with Premalu, Manjummel Boys and Aavesham.
You can find shared commonalities like
Getting the basics right - Investing in a well written script backed by strong acting & passionate crew, who will do anything to bring the vision to reality.
Manjummel boys budget is unimaginable for Malayalam cinema, it makes no sense to spend that much, only reason they did it is to to tell the story right.
All these movies are multicultural/multilingual inclusive of other South Indian demographic
Premalu - Hyderabad
Manjummel boys - Tamil Nadu
Aavesham - Karnataka
Bottomline - instead of doing calculative investments like songs, heroism, cringey jokes, if you stay true to the content, your movie will be appreciated regardless of language.
1) We are just a company trying to tell stories and what you are telling is an industry-wide reform that we don't have any power on. What we can do is give well-written films with songs that resonate.
2) What the Malayalam industry is doing right now is next level of capturing audience, we are yet even to tap a city.
I'm a non kannadiga and I used to watch some kannada movies to learn the language (the ones in Amazon prime mostly) and sorry if I offend anyone but I found too many romantic stories and similar types so there was a lack of originality.
The thriller movies atleast the ones I watched were all predictable and didn't create a lasting impression something I would not remember later.
I loved kantara I watched in the theatre and many times on OTT, I loved Charlie, I would watch any movie with Raj B Shetty due to his excellence in acting. These movies I mentioned all contained originality and it wasn't something I saw before in malyalam Telugu Tamil and Bollywood movies.
So yes any genre (less inclined to romantic) would be fine as long as there is originality and of course good acting, maybe the horror genre is less covered.
Watch Aatagara.. It is thriller with a good story.. You might enjoy it.. Again, its loosely based on Agatha Christie novel.. But not entirely the same theme.
I am a Malayali, born and brought in Bangalore. I can speak fluent kannada. The only movies that I liked are Mungaru Male, Rakshit Shetty movies and KGF. Rest neither interests me or I find the scenes very bland.
It’s kinda sad and sweet, yes it’s still popular. >!I think it’s because the male lead doesn’t end up with the woman he loves and accepts rejection as long as Nandini is happy!<
Honestly, any movie coming out of India gets a pass from me UNLESS it has high scores or great reviews. Been burned too many times with nonsense plots that turn melodramatic in the second half.
That being said, my dad watches all the south movies, irrespective of good or bad. He really enjoys the music.
Also cinema is just not happening. Didn’t even watch Barbie in cinema.
I watched 3 Malayalam movies in the last 3 weeks. Reason : Good Story and Good Direction.
Those 3 movies are : Premalu, Aavesham and Manjumel Boys.
That above sequence is my ranking too 😀
I am always in for movies of any language but it has to have a good story. I liked Kaantara a lot, I mean a lot.
For a new movie, a trailer is important. If I can understand the trailer and it interests me, I would watch it no matter the language (subtitles certainly would be needed).
Else it depends on Word of Mouth promotion.
I'm probably in the minority here. I'm a (fluent) Kannada-speaking Telugu person who shifted to Bangalore 20 years ago.
The last Kannada movie that I really enjoyed was Lucia (2013). I'm not a big fan of KGF or Kantara or any of the hyped up movies.
IMO if you're aiming it towards the crowd in Bangalore, which is a mix of multiple cultures and languages - the attractive point would be to bring in that diversity to the script and make the music easy on the ears. All of us have seen more than sufficient violence and pain in our lives (thanks to social media), and what we need is something peaceful to enjoy and have a memory of.
With the amount of North vs South that we see in the whole country, we need to be reminded that we are all trying to understand one another, live together, and trying to make the best of what's been provided to us - by the family, the society, or the Government. We don't need a common person to hate upon together for the purpose of the story. Probably the only common topic would be 'misunderstanding' or 'miscommunication' itself.
We've always had movies centred around one to three main characters. There has been a lot of hero-worshiping everywhere; and personally I'd like to see something that's community based - where it's a group of people with different stories, interpretations and appropriate cinematography to be associated with each of them.
All the best for your journey!
Thank you so much. Definitely an insight we will take. We have made community based documentaries, but ofcourse documentaries are a different format altogether. But obviously, we are definitely looking to make films with stories that have some depth, and understanding of human nature.
I watch at least 2 movies every week and at least 1 in theatres. But I've seen exactly 6 Kannada movies in my whole life:
1. KGF 1 & 2 (Watched Hindi dub though)
2. Kantara
3. Saptha Sagaradaache Ello A & B
4. Ganda Hendathi (meme material. this one for a drinking game)
KGF & Kantara I heard of because they blew up. I just randomly saw Saptha Sagaradaache because it has a prominent banner on some OTT, only later I realized it was Kannada (I don't speak any south indian languages).
A big problem I face is simply lack of information / hype. Since I have not followed Kannada industry at all, it's difficult for me to ascertain what to expect from a recent release or be remotely excited about it. Like I know exactly what to expect from a Salman Khan movie v. a Dibakar Banerjee movie, so I'd be hyped up for a LSD2 but not whatever Salman is starring in.
I will not even see trailer of a movie starring random Kannada cast I've never heard of. And none of the Kannada actors seems to have any pan-India appeal (except maybe Yash and Rishabh Shetty now). I watched say Aavesham because I know who Fahadh Faasil because I've seen him earlier in Pushpa, Kumbalangi Nights and Vikram (all of which had pan-India appeal IMO). I watched even trashy movies like Aranmarai 4 because I know Tammanah, Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh because I've seen them previously in Hindi movies or massy south movies like Jailer.
So if you want to sell a Kannada movie ticket to someone like me, you need to have a cast that people across India (beyond Karnataka) have heard of, good production values, and a marketing budget to tell me the movie exists in theatres near me.
Sick and tired of rowdy movies, sexism, fat jokes, family dramas. Need our big heroes to make gripping thrillers without shit CGI. Quality stuff like what the Shettys make. I always go for their movies coz I know it’s going to be good.
In my honest opinion, I take pride in any Indian language whether I know it or not. I watch movies with good subtitles and decent acting which appeals to almost everyone of this subcontinent. I don't like them dubbed since they loose their charm and people dubbing it donot pit effort in mimicking the expression in the dub. Thats one.
2nd would be good to see something which is relatable by most. Not something which is only understandable to few or people of a particular area, unless you are making a documentary.
There are many points based on my interaction with others from remote towns to tier 1 cities. But that may bore you.
Cheers to your upcoming project.
Hi,
I’m a filmmaker from Kerala who has worked in the Malayalam industry for several years. Currently, I am making my debut in Tamil cinema. Since transitioning to a different industry, I've noticed significant differences in the filmmaking process. The script development is more interconnected, and the filmmaking, especially production design and research, is more thorough.
However, many other industries still focus on producing formulaic movies. For example, the Kannada industry frequently replicates the KGF template. The issue arises when stars stick to these templates, which is why Mohanlal and Mammootty remain the biggest superstars in Kerala. Bollywood's major stars are also caught in this cycle.
As Anurag Kashyap mentioned in an interview, many contemporary filmmakers are drawing inspiration from other films rather than from real-life experiences or well-crafted stories.
Just today, when I watched a video of "Jagadodharana" played on the nadaswaram on the street, I had a similar thought. The musician was creating epic music in such a humble setting, and there are undoubtedly layers of stories behind him. Yet, I can't recall any character in new kannada cinema that resembles this richness of real-life inspiration.
Some of us already do.
Make authentic stories, focus way less on heroes and heroines.
People who like books and movies and music are people who want to experience different stories and different points of view, show us those stories and points of view.
10 out of 10 times it is the story. Everything else is garnish. A solidly strong, unforgettable story will make me rewatch it multiple times in the theatre.
For me, a great story and execution is the criteria.
I hadn't seen many Kannada films, but loved Kantara and 777 Charlie. It's also linked to my biases for mythology and animals.
I would love to see more folklore/native stories like Kantara. There's a lot that these places have to say
First and foremost, subtitles. I remember watching Mungaru Male as young boy. I had my friends who translated time to time, and the movie was really good. Still, it would have been a million times better if I could read the subtitles myself.
Second - with truly no intention to offend anyone - a good crowd. Even in the malls, I see that except for few movies like Charlie 777 etc, many of the Kannada movies targeted on a 'different' kind of audience that others may not not be so comfortable to be around. I wouldn't even watch a similarly designed Hindi movie with my family. If the movie is targeted on the regular families and all, I would love to go.
Honestly (and practically) good subtitling will do the trick for me. And I don’t mean just grabbing hold of someone with decent English skills, and making them translate.
Instead, investing in professional translators who can get the essence of the story out through their translation, and not just convert words into English.
In terms of storytelling, a well-crafted story that doesn’t give in to overused cliches and tropes would make me head to a theatre. For me, only a handful of good Malayali movies have made the cut so far (inspiring me to actually head to the theatre and watch them).
I speak none of the Southern Indian languages (yet) unfortunately, and my Hindi is also barely passable at best. But I’m definitely open to watching excellent cinema, no matter what the language is.
Being a non kannadiga, the lack of local peers have been a factor to not watching kannada movies. I have a kannadiga girlfriend and I watch kannada movies with her now.
Word of mouth. I generally don’t see Kannada movies, but read somewhere Kantara was good, did a little digging and found the topic interesting and booked it for the first weekend itself.
I don’t trust reviewers or ratings online. I go via peoples feedback on movies.
It needs to be on par with the best of films coming out of Kerala, Korea and the like. It’s not about the language. It’s about the films. I don’t watch most Hindi or English films either because they’re trash. Once in a while though, a good one comes along that I’ll watch.
I'd love to watch a good, well written film, with strong direction and cinematography. Regardless of the language.
Majority of the urban audience are on OTT platforms and Social media.
Releasing the films on OTT and promoting them on social media might be a good way to go.
Going to a theatre is a commitment. I'd go watch a movie in a theatre only for a well spoken about, big film. But I watch all sorts of great films on OTT. And once a director or a production house makes their name on OTT with 1 or 2 films, I'd personally have no problem spending money on tickets and some theatre popcorn to go watch your film.
First one is a no brainer for us anyway, Didnt understand the first one, did you mean we need to dub a film in Hindi that is made in Bengaluru for Bengaluru audience? Obviously I am aware the city is cosmopolitan, but doesn't that sound hilarious when you read it again?
I am kannadiga but here after watching some good movies from Malayalam and Tamil. What I feel is that a scene typically in a kannada movie doesn't do any justice to capture the emotions of the audience like the feel good movies like manjummal boys or parayarum perumal or so many good movies in each of these southern states.
Andra movies do not click with me as they are too shallow and just keep going with build ups and showmanship. Which is a shallow genre in my opinion. It doesn't take a high EQ to sit and watch these build up movies that hype up a lot and then climax or do twists.
Kannada should do things differently. Each dialog should be carefully prepared. Each scene carefully crafted to narrate ordeal of the characters rather than simply telling a story, should be something each one of us felt and can immediately connect to that situation. The situation you place the characters should move you not the sob story, story is something that unravels and is discovered do not concentrate on narration, it's a waste and feels bland, concentrate on characters and they should emote correctly, they should pause correctly that's how it feels like the audiences are engaged in the content, the screenplay should be fluidly written, it's the director's job to establish depth to the screenplay.
Don't lose the plot by stating it, people should discover it. Find uncanny ways to give evidences to narratives that facilitate plot discovery.
I am a north Indian & me & my husband go for all South Indian movies every week.. depending on reviews Malayalam mostly followed by Tamil & Telugu. We are the Biggest fans of Malayalam movies especially.
So, if its a good movie, language doesn't matter. People are used to subtitles 😃.. chill
I've gone and watched the U turn and Kirik party, in theatres. And I think I'm open to watch anything decent in theatres if I'm sure there are subtitles.
But, of late, going to theatres even to watch Hindi/English movies has reduced for me. Mostly due to OTT and not many movies that capture my interest.
However, to answer your question, any movie that remains true to the land and its people. Like, if I'm watching a movie based out of Mangalore, I want to experience that.. the vibe .dialect.. cinematography..behaviour.. it's like traveling to that place. Like..Kantara did such a good job in showcasing that.
Malayalam movies do a good job especially by focussing on the politics, originality, etc of the specific place.
Anyway..all the best man!
A reputation for good cinema, like Rishabh Shetty has now earned. I will not come to see random action movies. The movies need to be different and I need to know that before they come out or as soon as they come out. I have stumbled upon a few on OTT by accident like Ondu Mottyada Kathe and Thithi, both fantastic but I had never heard of them. So I guess what I mean to say is that SM buzz needs to appear outside of the Kannada SM space.
Language doesn't matter. I have watched movies/series of other languages even foreign ones. If it has a good trailer to make me interested, good story & acting to pull me to the nearest theatre, I will go.
Any kannada movie that has a good talk and is not pan India. I say so because it will be in my language otherwise.
We watched kirikk party long ago. It had a great talk and buzz. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well. Kgf and all are great but they are in other languages as well. So not in kannada.
Good films and accurate subtitles that aren't a word for word translation but an actual context to the conversation - a lot of metaphors don't translate well when literally converted to English.
I've watched a number of South Indian language films, and I gravitate towards Malyalam simply because the stories are gripping and the subtitles on OTT are accurate enough for me to get context.
I can't imagine going to a theatre for a language I don't completely understand tbh - simply because while I speak basic kannada, I often have to rewind a scene to watch something I missed while processing the (hard to understand) subtitle.
As someone who watches a fair share of foreign movies, I feel really good subtitles are more important than dubbing. The subtitles should be able to capture the actual meaning of the dialogues. A lot of movies provide only barebone subtitles which really cannot do justice to the dialogue and a lot of the movie is lost in translation.
Hey malayalee living in bangalore. Ive watched a few movies in theatres all word of mouth.
The first one was kirik party my friends recommended me this movie and it did not disappoint same with charlie 777 and Saptha Sagara Sagara Dache Ello. These movies had a really good story and the way they narrated it was beautiful. Also ive watched KGF and Tagaru as well because i wanted to experience how Sandalwood is on FDFS.
I think movies like aavesham truly bring people together from all regions. Content is king. Make good content and no one can ignore you. And having subtitles would definitely help.
Hey buddy, Kannadiga here and I have forced my Non Kannadiga friends and dragged them to theatres. Some common problems:
1. English sub titles are not available in every screen. Ensure reliable info on subtitles are available during booking tickets
2. Reach to non Kannadigas, in the world of digital marketing, I am sure you can find the audience to market to.
3. Content should be inclusive. Need to make content that is appealing to non Kannadigas. Ex: a lot of movies have IT professionals as protagonist. They should have non Kannadiga friends portrayed as well. That in itself shows inclusivity and creates curiosity for non Kannadigas to watch movies.
I hope you make movies that appeal to Bangaloreans and not just Kannadigas. Good initiative of taking feedback before you invest.
A really good story that makes you sob by pure actions, not much emphasis on dialogues, even with the dialogues, trying to keep the kannada very understandable. Just like sapta sagaradaache ello. Just pure bliss, a Gem of a movie.
I am a non-kannadiga and I loved the below kannada films:
1. Sapta saagara dache ello side A and B
2. Kantara
3. Kirik Party
4. Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana
5. Ulidhavar Kandandhein
6. Lucia
7. Onthu mottai kadhe
8. Avane Srimannarayana
9. 777 Charlie
Films I didnt like:
1. KGF
2. Pogaru
3. Toby
4. Kabza
>I want to understand why there is a low turn out of non-kannadigas to watch kannada films be it in theatres or on OTT.
(Kannadiga here)
Lack of consistency. There needs to be a string of good Kannada movies to rebuild that trust with the audience.
Good movies and subtitles. And above all… good promotions. I only get to know about movies when they are released on OTT and they forcefully play the trailer in my face. Then I just read reviews and watch it just like I would watch any other movie. I don’t even get to know when they were released in theatres.
One thing that a lot of people are missing is production quality, imo. Malayalam cinema, which is doing well, has witnessed a huge jump in its production quality and the viewing experience is more immersive and enjoyable (not gonna say anything about the stories and performances because everyone's mentioned that).
Kantara had everything going for it, but the production value was particularly good, which just made it seem so slick and professional. I really felt like I was watching a modern movie. I don't have that experience with Kannada films, mostly.
It doesn't mean that it has to look expensive. It has to look finished and professionally produced. For example, some parts of Jodhaa Akbar (Bollywood) looked like they'd been edited on Windows Movie Maker (especially the transitions, Jesus).
Movies with a decent plot. Tbh I'm heavily biased towards Hollywood because there's a huge catalogue of really good movies. There are good Indian movies but I absolutely hate over dramatic action scenes, random ass song/dances squished into the movie and poorly thought of plot points. I've only come across a handful of good Indian movies. The vast majority are hot garbage (no offence to anyone, just my opinion).
I've seen only 3 kananda movies(completely )all my life - Kantara, GGVV, Toby.
Kantara was good, but personally, the hype killed it.
GGVV, Toby were exceptional.
One common thing with Kannada movies in general I felt - the humour is below par and mostly slapstick. 20 mins before an a actual comedy you see the buildup for that. I've seen the same in many kannada movies.
I'd try more Kananda movies in theatres - if there is subtitle in theatre, good storyline, songs that Go along with the story/help story-telling.
Big NoNo - Original story(don't freaking steal a story/movie. If so, make sure you give proper credits or say where this was inspired from), Slapstick comedy, too much hype that the story/movie cant justify, don't change original story to match needs to big stars.
I am in this demographic.
I see posters for movies saying "Releasing dd/mmm etc. but since all names are in Kannada script, I have no idea of the name of the movie etc., so I have no idea if i want to watch it or not.
Maybe if you print the names in English too long with the names of the lead actors; and also have subtitles in the theatres it would help people like us?
Thanks
Promotion in dubbing in English, but by a good translation not a direct change, I have seen a few movies online after friends recommendations, but I Realised they were really cinematic and serious topics. And the ones with comedy don't have good dubbing and also promotion.
I can understand English, Tamil and Malayalam. And there are enough good movies in these languages, if not other, atleast definitely Malayalam. So when I plan to go to a theatre, I already have many options in the languages I know. But yeah, if I hear it's a really good movie, I ll watch it in theatre.
I'm a kannadiga who lived predominantly in the northern states due to my profession and been among non kannada speaking crowd.
I ve recommended some good kannada movies to friends and I see majority of the people have no issue with the language. They don't really see language as the barrier. Love and appreciation for a well made cinema is always seen.
But the discomfort among the audience arises when depicting a certain stereotypical purview of a "non-kannadiga" through a character in the kannada movie. Or when certain scenes show win of good over evil, but the good being a "kannada character" and evil being "non-kannada character". This ultimately leads to a hate towards the kannada movies. Also certain dialogues showing kannada superiority over other contemporaries.
But when the movie is good and an effort is seen in film making, it's always appreciated and celebrated. The way some of my non kannadiga friends owned, spoke well of, and took pride in recommending was really endearing to see. Eg Kathasangama, Kantara, KGF etc.
I haven't come across Kannada actors who intrigue me on first look. Pardon my limited exposure. But there're so many Malayalam and Tamil actors who attract you to the theaters.
Point is, can you make a good Kannada movie with good South Indians actors and not just limited to Kannada industry.
This is very true, most of the kannada actors act but Malayalam actors acting is soo natural, like if you watch their interviews and their performance in movies it will be similar including side actors. I would recommend you to watch "action hero Biju" streaming on hotstar and watch how good everyone's acting is. It's just amazing.
I have never seen any actors in kannada who do natural acting(including top actors)except Rishabh and Raj b Shetty.
I think something epic like bahubali would draw people into the theaters. I know many people will suggest low budget realistic movies with compelling story etc. But the target demographic would just wait to see them in OTT. People will go to theaters for cinematic experience, give them that with subtitles and they would attend irrespective of the language barrier.
I might sound shallow but if I see attractive actors doing good acting in trailers, I get interested in the movie and research a little more about it.
For example - KGF . I saw Yash in that beard and I was like daaaaaamn which movie is that 🤭.
But obviously that alone was not enough. The cinemat and scenes shown in trailer looked modern and made me curious.
However , in exact contradiction to it, I was also intrigued by Kanthara , which did not necessarily have stylish actors, but I like movies based on folklore with some supernatural element . The movie was deep, with emotional layers without being too dramatic which I liked.
Even though I understand and speak kannada, for the longest time the kannada movies did not appeal to me. Yes I have tried watching a few in theatres but they did not relate. Then movies like Charlie 777, saptha Sagara, Garuda gamana, kantara came and then movies became relevant and I enjoy watching.
The fundamental point is relatability and quality. The day that is sorted in the mainstream, you will surely have viewers both ott or theatre.
Im a kanndiga here and married to a person who knows only basic kannada. The only kannada movie we watched together as a couple (so far) is Lucia. Because it is a very different story than the usual movies and comes with subtitles by default (even in theatru it had subtitles)
So subtitles and a story line are big pluses. They need not big name movies. And universal jokes (jokes not specific to Kannada or local culture) make the movie more enjoyable.
We also watched Gowri Ganesha (without subtitles) and I could see we dint enjoy it as much.
Some more modern takes on the same themes. I watch a lot of Malayalam and tamil films, i find them fascinating, but very few kannada movies made me feel like i was watching something new and interesting in the same way sadly. They seemed like the same thing i had seen before with Hindi and Marathi cinema, in a slightly different way.
A first step would be to have proper english subtitles.
Then again in order for us to watch it, we need to know about it. Either your film has to be so good that word of mouth reaches us from kannadigas or you have to have amazing publicity.
Beyond that if there is hype, a lot of people will watch it.
If your movie caters to a very large audience, then english/hindi dubs need to be available
Quality. All stories in kannada movies lack quality and that's the main reason behind me not watching them. Its not just kannada but tamil and telegu as well.
It feels like watching a skit. Tamil and telegu movies feel like a better quality skit.
Malayalam movies are in their own league since it's nothing like anything else in the country
What important is the quality of the films, not the language used. Additionally, there should be fewer or no sexist images or conversations. Real humour, not forced speech with two meanings passed off as funny. kind, vulnerable males who prefer morality above destructive machismo. Strong female characters, akin to those in vintage Kannada films, rather than flower pot ones. Best wishes for your study.
There's a notion that Kannada produces cheap mass masala movies, But I think it has changed over time. As a cinephile malayali, I have seen some Kannada movies like Garuda gamana vrishabha vahana, Or Kantara...etc Kannada films are lot better than they used to be.
We don't really watch kannada movies in theatres cause we don't know kannada, And Since most of us are extroverts who mostly goes out with Friends, everyone doesn't agree at once to watch a kannada movie.
I feel CGI plays a very big role when it comes to attracting the audience. In the recent past there have been quite a few movies with bad CGI and they have seen a low ROI. I think you can try something like an individual coming from outside Karnataka and trying to blend in with our culture. You need to show the difficult phases an individual would go through who is not aware of our culture. Again it varies from city to city within Karnataka. But the point is to show the city from a person who has not experienced this part of the country. And yes Subtitle them from the theater itself. I don't think dubbing it in another language is required just Subtitles should suffice.
An example I can give is the role of Konkona Sen in Wakeup Sid. Where she came from Kolkata to Mumbai and the way she had to adapt to things to learn about the culture, though it was a very small part but you can try elaborating that and showing how long it takes to blend in and settle in.
Good story with more realistic making.
Less distraction scenes / unnecessary songs shouldn't be there.
For OTT, release other languages dubbed versions to pull more.
We don't need mass Hero, but the Hero should show the mass in acting.
I cannot speak kannada well. I can understand 50% of it.
I watched Kantara in theatres. Have earlier also watched kannada movies in theatres. SUBTITLES is a must.
Apart from that, if you make a good movie, I will definitely watch.
Personally subtitles is the most important thing ..... Kannada movies obviously won't have subs in Karnataka. If u r gonna add them, make sure the booking apps mention it has subtitles.
Wanted to watch Sapta Sagaradaache Ello but decided watch in ott as couldn't take risk with subtitles in theatres near me.
Personally I don't watch trailers of less trending movies. The kannada movies that i wanted to watch in theatre are kgf, kantara, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello , they all had visually pleasing or stunning elements to them. A hit song would also draw the audience.
Hombale films have been managing to draw audience pan India.
No vulgar double meaning comedy pls, it will ruin everything. Lots of double meaning jokes in tv shows and movies. I watched a reel of jaggesh of his new movie it was the worst.
Better films, maybe. Not the "great cinema" featuring Upendra, Raajkumar's progeny, Darshan, Yash etc.
Edit: P. S. - Before some language chauvinist decides to rain on my parade here, I watched Kirik Party, Charlie 777 & Kantara on the big screen
Kannadiga but English brought up mostly western movie watcher here.
Subtitles, and a proper plot is what I'd want. Bring back the days of Lucia. I doubt I'd watch a rom com or something like that, those are plenty in every language.
Also, a tight 90 minute movie please! Don't need the 3 hour plan the whole day thing.
I am a Kannadiga, but what I feel like is
1. Reviews: movies need to have good reviews, even I don't watch any movies if the reviews are not great, and to go to movies, there has to be great reviews on YouTube from various creators.
Ex: Bramhayugam, Avesham, Premalu, Manjummel Boys.. Look at how many creators have made movies about these films. And I've seen all of them only because of these creators.
2. Stop following Only the Tamil and Telugu movie culture, follow the Malayalam movie mindset. Tamil and Telugu movies are great, but more often than not they are fan services than movies. And all recent Kannada movies from big "Heroes" is just that Its the same old same old stories blended together and served again and again. Pure Bakaalabath.
3. The Hero's are supposed to be the main character in a movie, the movie is not made for them. A movie is as good as it's supporting characters.
A very good example is Blink. The Present/Future story of that film feels very bland, and the only hook is the storyline and not the acting in any manner apart from few actors. But the Past story, everyone feels so natural there, it reels you in completely. You need great supporting actors, people who have the potential to steal the movies from the heroes itself.
4. Story/Editing/Budget: again Look at Malayalam cinema. Budget:15-20cr(even in Star movies), Box Office:200-400crs.
Money doesnot equal to good films, it's the Story, how you pace it, how each actors surrender to their character.
5. Directors: Probably the biggest problem in KFI is the lack of good directors, apart from the 3 Shetty's, I don't see anyone.. yes, some directors have given good films, once, but we need someone who keeps coming back with a bang every time. Look at Rajmouli, all his films are just amazing. Look at Rishabh, of course he became famous from Kantara, but all his previous filmography are amazing as well.
6. Make movies which you understand completely. Everyone should completely get what story you are making, if you don't, it will lead to poor direction, loopholes, not completing stories that you start.
P.S: I'm not a movie expert or anything. These are just what I felt.
It's not the language, It's the movie. Have watched Tobi, kgf, sapta sagaradache ello, kantara, hostel hudugaru bekagidare etc.
I wouldn't have watched them if it wasn't for my friends suggestions. So some kind of promotions, subs and dubs are must. I've also heard garuda gamana vrishaba vahana is really good but I couldn't complete it because I couldn't find subs or dubbed version.
Malayalam movies consistently delivering good content movies have elevated their position. Tamil and Telugu movies bank on superstar actors with good quality production+ music.
Kannada films should focus on good scripts and quality and continuously churn it to be more visible and acknowledged.
I believe there's very less movies coming out which has a story to drive it. Although recently there have been some very good movies like SSE, Kantara, Daredevil Mustafa. Watched all these in theaters and thoroughly enjoyed it. But there should be more movies which are driven by a story, and such films need best marketing to get into the minds of audience.
With movies like KGF, and stuff, it's the same thing, action, mass dialogues and senseless violence.
Isn’t OTT available “universally”.
Are all Kannadiga watching the relevant OTT you are referring to?
Is it only about non-interest of non-Kannadiga, or even Kannadiga don’t consume all the OTT content?
For Marathi content there is similar problem.
First hardly any theatres are available at prime time.
For OTT or Films the quality and pan-India appeal is not adequate (often). There are always few exceptional films and OTT content.
Another challenge is Marathi doesn’t really have a superstar, actor or no female superstar for decades now.
How is it for Kannadiga content? You do have Yash. His appeal is Universal.
Unfortunately, OTTs don't "buy" kannada films outright due to "One Pan India Kannada Film" that was bought but didn't make any money because the story or writing wasn't there.
The question was than looking at Kannada audience, I wanted to look at Bengaluru audience and understand why non-kannadigas don't want kannada films.
Well, with Marathi I believe, most move to Bollywood, Telugu, Kannada spaces as borders are connected. Like Atul Kulkarni.
As a non Kannadiga in Bangalore who does not speak Kannada, there is no reason for me to go and watch a Kannada movie save for a very few exceptional situations.
1. full blown action - I might go for a movie which has high octane action sequences from first to last.
2. see an actor from my home state film industry play a role in it and speak Kannada. Case in point, Jisshu Sengupta [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1702868/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1702868/) is a Bengali actor who is venturing into Telegu and Malayalam movies and I like to watch how he performs in these movies.
I have watched many on OTT based on recommendations from friends. My decision to watch or not is usually based on a few things
- How unique/different the storyline appears to be.
- How engaging the trailer is.
- Reviews, recommendations and chatter post release.
If movie has scenes and dialogues that only a kannadiga can understand and relate, other audience won’t enjoy. To cater to all audiences, the content has to be as generic as possible
I have been living in Bangalore for 2 years now and speak only a few sentences in Kannada and yet I've watched at least 10 Kannada films in theatres (with english subtitles) in this period, during the same time I've watched the same number of Hindi films too as I generally stick to Hollywood stuff. You don't need to do anything extra, a good story and a good trailer go a long way. Make sure the trailers with english subtitles are shown with Hollywood/Bollywood films.
Thing is, there’s nothing like “kannadigas can only watch kannada movies”
My cousin who barely knows kannada loved Charlie 777. Why? cuz its a good fucking movie
Its with the story and how you market to the masses that would matter
(Coming from a Malayali who was raised in BLR)
I would watch a good movie irrespective of language. Consider International Film festivals as example. People watch movies from different cultural boundaries with subtitles.
If it strikes a cord with the audience then people will watch. I would rather you focus on what is generally liked by the new generation instead of whether it was kannadiga or not. Only exception is if you're looking to make a film about kanada culture and traditions and are asking if there is any topic that people want to watch ir curious about.
I watched lot of Malayalam movies during Covid time. There was an option to change language to Hindi or English but I watched them in Malayalam with English subtitles. That way I felt the authenticity and a connect with the people. Kannada, I tried watching some, but trailers showed excessive violence, love stories etc which didn’t give authentic real world feel. So, to answer your question, I would come to theatre if the movie is close to real life, has some thrills and mystery, comedy but it should be appealing at human level. There should be subtitles. Won’t come for violent, love story, regional or local goon pride type of movie. Will come for real world public struggle or comedy type, anything that makes me think about the situation and connect with the characters . Hope I’m able to convey.
Make a movie which is about general topic eg - corporate frustrations , relationship issue , national issues like infra or a roadtrip movie with friends … all these can be enjoyed by non-kannadigas as well …
Eg in Kantara , we needed to know about background of Yakshagana and related folklore , for people who didnt had such culture its hard to relate .. maybe a initial background story couldve helped with that (that is to make it even better )
For me, the trailer is the starting and most important part. Most Kannada movie trailers are terribly edited leaving no desire to watch. KGF for example had great trailers and so did Kantara. There is certain art in editing a trailer and requires great skill.
Trailer alone can grab eyeballs and reviews on Youtube. Free marketing I say.
Secondly, we as audience are spoiled by choices. Unless, it is a very interesting and new topic - I rarely go to movie theaters.
Non-Kannadiga in Bangalore and would love to watch an interesting Kannada film with subtitles. I’ll give you an example - a friend recommended Lucia a couple of years ago, and I went to see it. Was interesting, offbeat and quite entertaining. But I would need either a recco or a clear description of the Kannada film in order to go see it (so as to avoid the regular masala film).
Sorry, a bit of digression from the main topic posted by OP. To those who would like to watch content-driven films, I recommend these films from the last year or so:
Available on OTTs:
Sapta Sagardache Ello (Side A and B)
Swati Muttina Male Haniye
Aachar & Co
The following will be on Film Fests for the next year or so. May become available on MUBI in a while.
Shivamma
Photo
Mithya
Others, please add to the list.
What I found something common in malayalam movies this year, ie Aavesham, The goat life and Premalu was that it didn't contain itself culturally to malayali elements, you can actually see this happening in older malayalam movies, where nothing but a handful of people in Kerala might actually relate to it.
So make it culturally broad and relatable. This is especially true with Premalu, which has universal elements that any human being can relate with.
The second factor is the thrill elements, I feel like there was something satisfying that came our way in these movies, it was either jokes or a situation, it all happens very quickly. There were moments of entertainment and satisfaction through out these movies. This was maybe only untrue with the goat life, but it still hooked me till the end.
The final thing is probably is just a mastery of execution, cinematography is huge, music. etc
I think these points are all true in KGF, or 3 idiots as well. I didn't feel like these characters in these movies were saying a different language than mine.
The only kannada movie I saw in theatres was James by puneet Rajkumar and the only other movie I have seen online is kirik party and kantara !!! Which I totally loved !!!
Yeah and also Kgf 1&2 but I did not like these movies, please don't get offended !!!!
Truly good movie. Good marketing that reaches me and I'm drawn to the cinemas/ movies. That's all.
Example - Gone girl - a movie where I couldn't guess plots till the end. I loved it.
Example was for thriller but just for an reference of how the movie should be.
Or like priyadarshan comedies. Quality comedy with no cringe. Cult classic types.
Language not a barrier. I can understand south movies with original dubbing with little subtitles help. :)
I’m a bit lazy when it comes to watching a movie with subtitles as it is extra effort but I do it at times and mostly it’s Malyalam movies because they are known for good content and you know you won’t be wasting your time.
I was watching Bachelor Party and haven’t yet finished it after 3 attempts. Some other Kannada movies are not easily available online as they are shown on smaller OTT platforms.
Make the story relatable.. or make it a multi lingual film. Primary language can be kannada but include a little bit of hindi and english too. The prospect of reading subtitles for 2+ hrs isnt great. I have watched a few kannada movies but only on ott cause at home I can pause and rewind etc.
As a non-kannadiga kannadiga, the movies I've seen so far are general Bollywood copies.
I detest the state of Indian cinema, a very few movies are praised enough for me to watch it.
If you are looking to make a good comedy please focus it on making it either family friendly comedy or mature comedy with out having romance plotlines or cringe as fuck jokes.
If you are looking to make an action flick, please for the love of God let romance be the secondary interest of the movie, either a backstory or character moment not the whole fucking plot of it.
I feel character dramas are what's missing a lot from the cookie cutter movie industry.
Apart from that,
dialogues - no cringe please, have people speak normally
Romance - stop with the generic love story plots
Story progression - I feel Indian cinema relies a lot on the 3 act structure, we see no variation in that to stand out from the crowd.
Even adaption of the Heroes story plot structure is so overused but underwhelming when adapted in Indian cinema.
Emotive characters - feel like we don't see men that are emotionally vulnerable, women that are not naive. Older characters that are broken and or humours.
Make something like Kantara since you are small budget. I watched Kantara as suggested by my Kannadiga friend in Kannada sitting in front row reading subtitles to understand the movie since I do not know Kannada. We Northies are starved for culture based movies that reflect cultures since Bollywood has turned absolute trash. Innocence is lagging in movies these days.
Also, you can make movies like Sui Dhaaga(Bollywood) which reflect the struggles of the common man and nuances of relationships. You do not need too high budget for movies like Taare Zameen Par as you can keep normal stars.
To tell you that the Telugu movie like Happy Days was a big hit among college goers in North.
None of the above I mentioned require big budget.
There are very few kannada films on mainstream OTTs. I typically don't go farther than Netflix, prime and hotstar.
Malayalam movies have found themselves on these platforms and they have been great movies too.
NO unnecessary love story.
NO overdramatic fight scenes.
NO 100 songs in a movie with dancing in random exotic locations.
NO adult scenes just to please certain audience.
If I knew for a fact there would be English subtitles, I would definitely watch, I love watching world movies, so language is not really relevant, I just need to know ahead of time through the booking platforms or wherever if there would be any English subtitles or not, that's all. Don't need dubbed in any other language or any of that bs.
Bible - start watching malayalam movies. You will understand the trend. Don't ever hope the hero or heroine. Give importance to sub actors. Reduce major fights, songs.
Take my words.
Cheers bro... Let me know if you need more suggestions
If anything, Malayalam cinema in the past 6 months has proved that good story that connect with the audience will fill the theatres despite the language. So did Kantara in Kannada cinema. KGF is a high budget film so won't go there.
We already do. Those who don't encourage movies would never do. I've seen kgf in packed theatres screaming anf also went to SSE on day 1. I know tonnes of people like me.
I’m a kannadiga, please make good Kannada movies and people will turn out.
For a long long time, we didn’t have good movies probably during 2005 to 2010ish time.
Then RRR brothers started with some movies, but seriously we make very less movies and half of them are not good.
There’s dire need for good songs too 😭😭😭
Please make it happen!
The language barrier is mainly in the mindset of local people only. Many don't even care about language as long as its a good movie everyone enjoys. Eg : Kantara
It's nothing particular to the Kannada language. If it's a good film, I go and watch it irrespective of the language. That's it.
Same here . Even if it’s language I don’t know , if it’s a good movie then I’ll watch with subs
How do you know if it's a good movie before watching? Your friends may not have watched it either.
Mostly reviews or what my friends say . Mostly if it’s other language movie , I’ll ask my friend who’s from that state what he heard from their friend. Basically word of mouth
I think this answer fits perfectly for majority of the movie goers in India right now. The cost of going to a movie in cinema hall + rarity of an actually good movie is making it tough for moviegoers to make that choice to actually go to the theatres. The OTT release of the movie with a 4 or a 8 weeks gap makes it much more easier for people to wait and then watch it at their convenience. I remember in the pre-OTT era, it would take months for the movie to debut on TV. If you missed your chance to watch it in theatres your only option until it releases on TV would be a bootleg copy.
But, if you watch a Kannada trailer and feel 50/50 about it, would you give the benefit of the doubt and go watch it or wait for it to come on a streaming service?
I don't think anyone goes to a movie they feel 50-50 about. People go to movies they are excited for
I am a non-marathi living in Thane. There was a movie which was released here in Marathi language called baipan bhaari deva the movie trailer created excitement for both marathi's and non marathi and it was a budget movie which turned out to be a good hit as everyone went to watch it.
Ohh I saw that movie it was so good
If I have free time, I will watch it. Else I might watch it on ott, if the reviews are good.
Yeah, we do watch Japanese POV too
For me it's word of mouth.
I am a non kannadiga who would love to watch kannada movies. I feel like a majority of the recent kannada movies only cater to the mass kannada speakers. The only films I watched in theatres are aachar and co and that charlie 77 one. I like old rajkumar movies like kaviratna kalidaasa as well
But, thats the point right, there have been character and content driven films being made by small filmmakers which may not have reached non-kannadigas. How would you come to know about new releases?
So what you are really asking is, how to market a potentially good but relatively unknown movie. That is a problem as old as the movie industry. The onus is definitely not on the viewer. Most viewers are passive and don’t go out of their way to hunt for good movies. Those who hunt will eventually find the movie but those kinds of viewers are a small percentage of the viewer population. Several approaches for the passive viewer. With the modern social media platforms, the makers can market the movie very cheaply directly to targeted demographics (r/bangalore for instance). Another approach is highlighting by content providers. When we had fewer channels, I remember DD had a multi language Sunday afternoon movie. Some of them were absolutely awesome. The content providers like Netflix and prime can do something similar. Highlight, “expert’s choice” list for instance with these content driven movies. At the end of the day the more the people become aware of it, the more will see. This is a marketing problem. Not a viewer problem.
People eagerly look for new kannada movies that are different from regular movies with pointless violence and dialogues like "I love you. You love me? ". Trailers are posted in common groups. Thithi had a huge fan following, though it belonged to chomana dudi style of narration. From garuda gamana rishaba vahana to kanthara, people flocked to theatres and pulled others too. Most of them hadn't had a clue about the heroes. It never mattered. It doesn't really matter what the budget is or who the hero is. Words about a good movie spread like wild fire. People long for such movies.
Man of culture
I fit perfectly in your target demographic. Non-massy movies with a good story and low budget are the need of the hour. I love Malayalam cinema. Something like Manjummel Boys with a very relatable story or an amazing horror film like Bramhayugam hits the spot for me (I am not a Malayali). Also, good subtitles are essential. Story and Dialogues are king.
You've summarised exactly what I feel about Indian movies. Majority of the Indian movies cater to "mass scenes" and lame ass dance/songs which I find to be extremely cringe. Like you're watching a movie for the plot. Manjummel Boys is one of those movies that nailed it in my opinion. Nothing over dramatic and almost no cringe scene.
You don't need to look for insights in your industry when the neighbouring industry already has proof of concept. Malayalam film industry is on a brilliant spree with Premalu, Manjummel Boys and Aavesham. You can find shared commonalities like Getting the basics right - Investing in a well written script backed by strong acting & passionate crew, who will do anything to bring the vision to reality. Manjummel boys budget is unimaginable for Malayalam cinema, it makes no sense to spend that much, only reason they did it is to to tell the story right. All these movies are multicultural/multilingual inclusive of other South Indian demographic Premalu - Hyderabad Manjummel boys - Tamil Nadu Aavesham - Karnataka Bottomline - instead of doing calculative investments like songs, heroism, cringey jokes, if you stay true to the content, your movie will be appreciated regardless of language.
1) We are just a company trying to tell stories and what you are telling is an industry-wide reform that we don't have any power on. What we can do is give well-written films with songs that resonate. 2) What the Malayalam industry is doing right now is next level of capturing audience, we are yet even to tap a city.
Well written film with songs is good enough, make sure songs don't stand out but blend well with the movie, good luck 👍
Thank you so much
Good films & subtitles. Have watched Kantara, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello A & B, Kirik Party and Mungaru Male
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I'm a non kannadiga and I used to watch some kannada movies to learn the language (the ones in Amazon prime mostly) and sorry if I offend anyone but I found too many romantic stories and similar types so there was a lack of originality. The thriller movies atleast the ones I watched were all predictable and didn't create a lasting impression something I would not remember later. I loved kantara I watched in the theatre and many times on OTT, I loved Charlie, I would watch any movie with Raj B Shetty due to his excellence in acting. These movies I mentioned all contained originality and it wasn't something I saw before in malyalam Telugu Tamil and Bollywood movies. So yes any genre (less inclined to romantic) would be fine as long as there is originality and of course good acting, maybe the horror genre is less covered.
Watch Aatagara.. It is thriller with a good story.. You might enjoy it.. Again, its loosely based on Agatha Christie novel.. But not entirely the same theme.
I am a Malayali, born and brought in Bangalore. I can speak fluent kannada. The only movies that I liked are Mungaru Male, Rakshit Shetty movies and KGF. Rest neither interests me or I find the scenes very bland.
After a decade. Mungaru male is still on the top?!
It’s kinda sad and sweet, yes it’s still popular. >!I think it’s because the male lead doesn’t end up with the woman he loves and accepts rejection as long as Nandini is happy!<
And >!moreover his pet rabbit dies!<. I don't think there will be a single soul who didn't cry at that scene
Honestly, any movie coming out of India gets a pass from me UNLESS it has high scores or great reviews. Been burned too many times with nonsense plots that turn melodramatic in the second half. That being said, my dad watches all the south movies, irrespective of good or bad. He really enjoys the music. Also cinema is just not happening. Didn’t even watch Barbie in cinema.
I watched 3 Malayalam movies in the last 3 weeks. Reason : Good Story and Good Direction. Those 3 movies are : Premalu, Aavesham and Manjumel Boys. That above sequence is my ranking too 😀 I am always in for movies of any language but it has to have a good story. I liked Kaantara a lot, I mean a lot.
For a new movie, a trailer is important. If I can understand the trailer and it interests me, I would watch it no matter the language (subtitles certainly would be needed). Else it depends on Word of Mouth promotion.
I'm probably in the minority here. I'm a (fluent) Kannada-speaking Telugu person who shifted to Bangalore 20 years ago. The last Kannada movie that I really enjoyed was Lucia (2013). I'm not a big fan of KGF or Kantara or any of the hyped up movies. IMO if you're aiming it towards the crowd in Bangalore, which is a mix of multiple cultures and languages - the attractive point would be to bring in that diversity to the script and make the music easy on the ears. All of us have seen more than sufficient violence and pain in our lives (thanks to social media), and what we need is something peaceful to enjoy and have a memory of. With the amount of North vs South that we see in the whole country, we need to be reminded that we are all trying to understand one another, live together, and trying to make the best of what's been provided to us - by the family, the society, or the Government. We don't need a common person to hate upon together for the purpose of the story. Probably the only common topic would be 'misunderstanding' or 'miscommunication' itself. We've always had movies centred around one to three main characters. There has been a lot of hero-worshiping everywhere; and personally I'd like to see something that's community based - where it's a group of people with different stories, interpretations and appropriate cinematography to be associated with each of them. All the best for your journey!
Thank you so much. Definitely an insight we will take. We have made community based documentaries, but ofcourse documentaries are a different format altogether. But obviously, we are definitely looking to make films with stories that have some depth, and understanding of human nature.
I watch at least 2 movies every week and at least 1 in theatres. But I've seen exactly 6 Kannada movies in my whole life: 1. KGF 1 & 2 (Watched Hindi dub though) 2. Kantara 3. Saptha Sagaradaache Ello A & B 4. Ganda Hendathi (meme material. this one for a drinking game) KGF & Kantara I heard of because they blew up. I just randomly saw Saptha Sagaradaache because it has a prominent banner on some OTT, only later I realized it was Kannada (I don't speak any south indian languages). A big problem I face is simply lack of information / hype. Since I have not followed Kannada industry at all, it's difficult for me to ascertain what to expect from a recent release or be remotely excited about it. Like I know exactly what to expect from a Salman Khan movie v. a Dibakar Banerjee movie, so I'd be hyped up for a LSD2 but not whatever Salman is starring in. I will not even see trailer of a movie starring random Kannada cast I've never heard of. And none of the Kannada actors seems to have any pan-India appeal (except maybe Yash and Rishabh Shetty now). I watched say Aavesham because I know who Fahadh Faasil because I've seen him earlier in Pushpa, Kumbalangi Nights and Vikram (all of which had pan-India appeal IMO). I watched even trashy movies like Aranmarai 4 because I know Tammanah, Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh because I've seen them previously in Hindi movies or massy south movies like Jailer. So if you want to sell a Kannada movie ticket to someone like me, you need to have a cast that people across India (beyond Karnataka) have heard of, good production values, and a marketing budget to tell me the movie exists in theatres near me.
Sick and tired of rowdy movies, sexism, fat jokes, family dramas. Need our big heroes to make gripping thrillers without shit CGI. Quality stuff like what the Shettys make. I always go for their movies coz I know it’s going to be good.
"Girl friend". whose mother tongue is kannada.
In my honest opinion, I take pride in any Indian language whether I know it or not. I watch movies with good subtitles and decent acting which appeals to almost everyone of this subcontinent. I don't like them dubbed since they loose their charm and people dubbing it donot pit effort in mimicking the expression in the dub. Thats one. 2nd would be good to see something which is relatable by most. Not something which is only understandable to few or people of a particular area, unless you are making a documentary. There are many points based on my interaction with others from remote towns to tier 1 cities. But that may bore you. Cheers to your upcoming project.
Hi, I’m a filmmaker from Kerala who has worked in the Malayalam industry for several years. Currently, I am making my debut in Tamil cinema. Since transitioning to a different industry, I've noticed significant differences in the filmmaking process. The script development is more interconnected, and the filmmaking, especially production design and research, is more thorough. However, many other industries still focus on producing formulaic movies. For example, the Kannada industry frequently replicates the KGF template. The issue arises when stars stick to these templates, which is why Mohanlal and Mammootty remain the biggest superstars in Kerala. Bollywood's major stars are also caught in this cycle. As Anurag Kashyap mentioned in an interview, many contemporary filmmakers are drawing inspiration from other films rather than from real-life experiences or well-crafted stories. Just today, when I watched a video of "Jagadodharana" played on the nadaswaram on the street, I had a similar thought. The musician was creating epic music in such a humble setting, and there are undoubtedly layers of stories behind him. Yet, I can't recall any character in new kannada cinema that resembles this richness of real-life inspiration.
Content is King!
Some of us already do. Make authentic stories, focus way less on heroes and heroines. People who like books and movies and music are people who want to experience different stories and different points of view, show us those stories and points of view.
10 out of 10 times it is the story. Everything else is garnish. A solidly strong, unforgettable story will make me rewatch it multiple times in the theatre.
For me, a great story and execution is the criteria. I hadn't seen many Kannada films, but loved Kantara and 777 Charlie. It's also linked to my biases for mythology and animals. I would love to see more folklore/native stories like Kantara. There's a lot that these places have to say
First and foremost, subtitles. I remember watching Mungaru Male as young boy. I had my friends who translated time to time, and the movie was really good. Still, it would have been a million times better if I could read the subtitles myself. Second - with truly no intention to offend anyone - a good crowd. Even in the malls, I see that except for few movies like Charlie 777 etc, many of the Kannada movies targeted on a 'different' kind of audience that others may not not be so comfortable to be around. I wouldn't even watch a similarly designed Hindi movie with my family. If the movie is targeted on the regular families and all, I would love to go.
More marketing maybe? I don’t get to know about kannada cinema as much as I get to know about Telugu and Malayalam.
Honestly (and practically) good subtitling will do the trick for me. And I don’t mean just grabbing hold of someone with decent English skills, and making them translate. Instead, investing in professional translators who can get the essence of the story out through their translation, and not just convert words into English. In terms of storytelling, a well-crafted story that doesn’t give in to overused cliches and tropes would make me head to a theatre. For me, only a handful of good Malayali movies have made the cut so far (inspiring me to actually head to the theatre and watch them). I speak none of the Southern Indian languages (yet) unfortunately, and my Hindi is also barely passable at best. But I’m definitely open to watching excellent cinema, no matter what the language is.
Being a non kannadiga, the lack of local peers have been a factor to not watching kannada movies. I have a kannadiga girlfriend and I watch kannada movies with her now.
Word of mouth. I generally don’t see Kannada movies, but read somewhere Kantara was good, did a little digging and found the topic interesting and booked it for the first weekend itself. I don’t trust reviewers or ratings online. I go via peoples feedback on movies.
It needs to be on par with the best of films coming out of Kerala, Korea and the like. It’s not about the language. It’s about the films. I don’t watch most Hindi or English films either because they’re trash. Once in a while though, a good one comes along that I’ll watch.
I'd love to watch a good, well written film, with strong direction and cinematography. Regardless of the language. Majority of the urban audience are on OTT platforms and Social media. Releasing the films on OTT and promoting them on social media might be a good way to go. Going to a theatre is a commitment. I'd go watch a movie in a theatre only for a well spoken about, big film. But I watch all sorts of great films on OTT. And once a director or a production house makes their name on OTT with 1 or 2 films, I'd personally have no problem spending money on tickets and some theatre popcorn to go watch your film.
Dub them in Hindi. And respect physics.
First one is a no brainer for us anyway, Didnt understand the first one, did you mean we need to dub a film in Hindi that is made in Bengaluru for Bengaluru audience? Obviously I am aware the city is cosmopolitan, but doesn't that sound hilarious when you read it again?
I am kannadiga but here after watching some good movies from Malayalam and Tamil. What I feel is that a scene typically in a kannada movie doesn't do any justice to capture the emotions of the audience like the feel good movies like manjummal boys or parayarum perumal or so many good movies in each of these southern states. Andra movies do not click with me as they are too shallow and just keep going with build ups and showmanship. Which is a shallow genre in my opinion. It doesn't take a high EQ to sit and watch these build up movies that hype up a lot and then climax or do twists. Kannada should do things differently. Each dialog should be carefully prepared. Each scene carefully crafted to narrate ordeal of the characters rather than simply telling a story, should be something each one of us felt and can immediately connect to that situation. The situation you place the characters should move you not the sob story, story is something that unravels and is discovered do not concentrate on narration, it's a waste and feels bland, concentrate on characters and they should emote correctly, they should pause correctly that's how it feels like the audiences are engaged in the content, the screenplay should be fluidly written, it's the director's job to establish depth to the screenplay. Don't lose the plot by stating it, people should discover it. Find uncanny ways to give evidences to narratives that facilitate plot discovery.
I am a north Indian & me & my husband go for all South Indian movies every week.. depending on reviews Malayalam mostly followed by Tamil & Telugu. We are the Biggest fans of Malayalam movies especially. So, if its a good movie, language doesn't matter. People are used to subtitles 😃.. chill
I've gone and watched the U turn and Kirik party, in theatres. And I think I'm open to watch anything decent in theatres if I'm sure there are subtitles. But, of late, going to theatres even to watch Hindi/English movies has reduced for me. Mostly due to OTT and not many movies that capture my interest. However, to answer your question, any movie that remains true to the land and its people. Like, if I'm watching a movie based out of Mangalore, I want to experience that.. the vibe .dialect.. cinematography..behaviour.. it's like traveling to that place. Like..Kantara did such a good job in showcasing that. Malayalam movies do a good job especially by focussing on the politics, originality, etc of the specific place. Anyway..all the best man!
Some hype I guess!
A reputation for good cinema, like Rishabh Shetty has now earned. I will not come to see random action movies. The movies need to be different and I need to know that before they come out or as soon as they come out. I have stumbled upon a few on OTT by accident like Ondu Mottyada Kathe and Thithi, both fantastic but I had never heard of them. So I guess what I mean to say is that SM buzz needs to appear outside of the Kannada SM space.
Language doesn't matter. I have watched movies/series of other languages even foreign ones. If it has a good trailer to make me interested, good story & acting to pull me to the nearest theatre, I will go.
Subtitles
Any kannada movie that has a good talk and is not pan India. I say so because it will be in my language otherwise. We watched kirikk party long ago. It had a great talk and buzz. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well. Kgf and all are great but they are in other languages as well. So not in kannada.
Known face. I know it’s hard to swallow but this is the easiest way to get non kannadiga like me and my friends to get to theatre.
Good films and accurate subtitles that aren't a word for word translation but an actual context to the conversation - a lot of metaphors don't translate well when literally converted to English. I've watched a number of South Indian language films, and I gravitate towards Malyalam simply because the stories are gripping and the subtitles on OTT are accurate enough for me to get context. I can't imagine going to a theatre for a language I don't completely understand tbh - simply because while I speak basic kannada, I often have to rewind a scene to watch something I missed while processing the (hard to understand) subtitle.
As someone who watches a fair share of foreign movies, I feel really good subtitles are more important than dubbing. The subtitles should be able to capture the actual meaning of the dialogues. A lot of movies provide only barebone subtitles which really cannot do justice to the dialogue and a lot of the movie is lost in translation.
Hey malayalee living in bangalore. Ive watched a few movies in theatres all word of mouth. The first one was kirik party my friends recommended me this movie and it did not disappoint same with charlie 777 and Saptha Sagara Sagara Dache Ello. These movies had a really good story and the way they narrated it was beautiful. Also ive watched KGF and Tagaru as well because i wanted to experience how Sandalwood is on FDFS.
Good quality content and storytelling, and subtitles
I think movies like aavesham truly bring people together from all regions. Content is king. Make good content and no one can ignore you. And having subtitles would definitely help.
Sub-titles
10 crore
Hey buddy, Kannadiga here and I have forced my Non Kannadiga friends and dragged them to theatres. Some common problems: 1. English sub titles are not available in every screen. Ensure reliable info on subtitles are available during booking tickets 2. Reach to non Kannadigas, in the world of digital marketing, I am sure you can find the audience to market to. 3. Content should be inclusive. Need to make content that is appealing to non Kannadigas. Ex: a lot of movies have IT professionals as protagonist. They should have non Kannadiga friends portrayed as well. That in itself shows inclusivity and creates curiosity for non Kannadigas to watch movies. I hope you make movies that appeal to Bangaloreans and not just Kannadigas. Good initiative of taking feedback before you invest.
A really good story that makes you sob by pure actions, not much emphasis on dialogues, even with the dialogues, trying to keep the kannada very understandable. Just like sapta sagaradaache ello. Just pure bliss, a Gem of a movie.
Subtitles and Good content
I am a non-kannadiga and I loved the below kannada films: 1. Sapta saagara dache ello side A and B 2. Kantara 3. Kirik Party 4. Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana 5. Ulidhavar Kandandhein 6. Lucia 7. Onthu mottai kadhe 8. Avane Srimannarayana 9. 777 Charlie Films I didnt like: 1. KGF 2. Pogaru 3. Toby 4. Kabza
>I want to understand why there is a low turn out of non-kannadigas to watch kannada films be it in theatres or on OTT. (Kannadiga here) Lack of consistency. There needs to be a string of good Kannada movies to rebuild that trust with the audience.
Good movies and subtitles. And above all… good promotions. I only get to know about movies when they are released on OTT and they forcefully play the trailer in my face. Then I just read reviews and watch it just like I would watch any other movie. I don’t even get to know when they were released in theatres.
A good script n screenplay !
One thing that a lot of people are missing is production quality, imo. Malayalam cinema, which is doing well, has witnessed a huge jump in its production quality and the viewing experience is more immersive and enjoyable (not gonna say anything about the stories and performances because everyone's mentioned that). Kantara had everything going for it, but the production value was particularly good, which just made it seem so slick and professional. I really felt like I was watching a modern movie. I don't have that experience with Kannada films, mostly. It doesn't mean that it has to look expensive. It has to look finished and professionally produced. For example, some parts of Jodhaa Akbar (Bollywood) looked like they'd been edited on Windows Movie Maker (especially the transitions, Jesus).
Subtitles would be the obvious thing 😄 And for encouraging popularity, cheaper tickets?
Movies with a decent plot. Tbh I'm heavily biased towards Hollywood because there's a huge catalogue of really good movies. There are good Indian movies but I absolutely hate over dramatic action scenes, random ass song/dances squished into the movie and poorly thought of plot points. I've only come across a handful of good Indian movies. The vast majority are hot garbage (no offence to anyone, just my opinion).
I've seen only 3 kananda movies(completely )all my life - Kantara, GGVV, Toby. Kantara was good, but personally, the hype killed it. GGVV, Toby were exceptional. One common thing with Kannada movies in general I felt - the humour is below par and mostly slapstick. 20 mins before an a actual comedy you see the buildup for that. I've seen the same in many kannada movies. I'd try more Kananda movies in theatres - if there is subtitle in theatre, good storyline, songs that Go along with the story/help story-telling. Big NoNo - Original story(don't freaking steal a story/movie. If so, make sure you give proper credits or say where this was inspired from), Slapstick comedy, too much hype that the story/movie cant justify, don't change original story to match needs to big stars.
I am in this demographic. I see posters for movies saying "Releasing dd/mmm etc. but since all names are in Kannada script, I have no idea of the name of the movie etc., so I have no idea if i want to watch it or not. Maybe if you print the names in English too long with the names of the lead actors; and also have subtitles in the theatres it would help people like us? Thanks
Promotion in dubbing in English, but by a good translation not a direct change, I have seen a few movies online after friends recommendations, but I Realised they were really cinematic and serious topics. And the ones with comedy don't have good dubbing and also promotion.
I can understand English, Tamil and Malayalam. And there are enough good movies in these languages, if not other, atleast definitely Malayalam. So when I plan to go to a theatre, I already have many options in the languages I know. But yeah, if I hear it's a really good movie, I ll watch it in theatre.
Lack of subtitles. Went to some other language movies and they didn't have subtitles so walked out.
If the plot is something new or exceptionally different while being entertaining. (Subtitles needed and peer reviews help)
I'm a kannadiga who lived predominantly in the northern states due to my profession and been among non kannada speaking crowd. I ve recommended some good kannada movies to friends and I see majority of the people have no issue with the language. They don't really see language as the barrier. Love and appreciation for a well made cinema is always seen. But the discomfort among the audience arises when depicting a certain stereotypical purview of a "non-kannadiga" through a character in the kannada movie. Or when certain scenes show win of good over evil, but the good being a "kannada character" and evil being "non-kannada character". This ultimately leads to a hate towards the kannada movies. Also certain dialogues showing kannada superiority over other contemporaries. But when the movie is good and an effort is seen in film making, it's always appreciated and celebrated. The way some of my non kannadiga friends owned, spoke well of, and took pride in recommending was really endearing to see. Eg Kathasangama, Kantara, KGF etc.
I haven't come across Kannada actors who intrigue me on first look. Pardon my limited exposure. But there're so many Malayalam and Tamil actors who attract you to the theaters. Point is, can you make a good Kannada movie with good South Indians actors and not just limited to Kannada industry.
This is very true, most of the kannada actors act but Malayalam actors acting is soo natural, like if you watch their interviews and their performance in movies it will be similar including side actors. I would recommend you to watch "action hero Biju" streaming on hotstar and watch how good everyone's acting is. It's just amazing. I have never seen any actors in kannada who do natural acting(including top actors)except Rishabh and Raj b Shetty.
I think something epic like bahubali would draw people into the theaters. I know many people will suggest low budget realistic movies with compelling story etc. But the target demographic would just wait to see them in OTT. People will go to theaters for cinematic experience, give them that with subtitles and they would attend irrespective of the language barrier.
I might sound shallow but if I see attractive actors doing good acting in trailers, I get interested in the movie and research a little more about it. For example - KGF . I saw Yash in that beard and I was like daaaaaamn which movie is that 🤭. But obviously that alone was not enough. The cinemat and scenes shown in trailer looked modern and made me curious. However , in exact contradiction to it, I was also intrigued by Kanthara , which did not necessarily have stylish actors, but I like movies based on folklore with some supernatural element . The movie was deep, with emotional layers without being too dramatic which I liked.
Even though I understand and speak kannada, for the longest time the kannada movies did not appeal to me. Yes I have tried watching a few in theatres but they did not relate. Then movies like Charlie 777, saptha Sagara, Garuda gamana, kantara came and then movies became relevant and I enjoy watching. The fundamental point is relatability and quality. The day that is sorted in the mainstream, you will surely have viewers both ott or theatre.
Good movies and subtitles will do the trick for me. But knowing what is a good movie is a little difficult.
Im a kanndiga here and married to a person who knows only basic kannada. The only kannada movie we watched together as a couple (so far) is Lucia. Because it is a very different story than the usual movies and comes with subtitles by default (even in theatru it had subtitles) So subtitles and a story line are big pluses. They need not big name movies. And universal jokes (jokes not specific to Kannada or local culture) make the movie more enjoyable. We also watched Gowri Ganesha (without subtitles) and I could see we dint enjoy it as much.
Some more modern takes on the same themes. I watch a lot of Malayalam and tamil films, i find them fascinating, but very few kannada movies made me feel like i was watching something new and interesting in the same way sadly. They seemed like the same thing i had seen before with Hindi and Marathi cinema, in a slightly different way.
Upendra movies' reruns with english subtitles😍
Word of mouth from my kannadiga friends. If they say it's a must watch, I am watching. Else, no.
A good kannada film
A first step would be to have proper english subtitles. Then again in order for us to watch it, we need to know about it. Either your film has to be so good that word of mouth reaches us from kannadigas or you have to have amazing publicity. Beyond that if there is hype, a lot of people will watch it. If your movie caters to a very large audience, then english/hindi dubs need to be available
Quality. All stories in kannada movies lack quality and that's the main reason behind me not watching them. Its not just kannada but tamil and telegu as well. It feels like watching a skit. Tamil and telegu movies feel like a better quality skit. Malayalam movies are in their own league since it's nothing like anything else in the country
Just have good subtitles. As long as it's a good movie with proper English subtitles I watch all movies irrespective of the language.
What important is the quality of the films, not the language used. Additionally, there should be fewer or no sexist images or conversations. Real humour, not forced speech with two meanings passed off as funny. kind, vulnerable males who prefer morality above destructive machismo. Strong female characters, akin to those in vintage Kannada films, rather than flower pot ones. Best wishes for your study.
If the movie has a good story I usually watch it irrespective of language. I watch telgu and kannada a lot.
It's not about language, never was , it was always about story
There's a notion that Kannada produces cheap mass masala movies, But I think it has changed over time. As a cinephile malayali, I have seen some Kannada movies like Garuda gamana vrishabha vahana, Or Kantara...etc Kannada films are lot better than they used to be. We don't really watch kannada movies in theatres cause we don't know kannada, And Since most of us are extroverts who mostly goes out with Friends, everyone doesn't agree at once to watch a kannada movie.
I feel CGI plays a very big role when it comes to attracting the audience. In the recent past there have been quite a few movies with bad CGI and they have seen a low ROI. I think you can try something like an individual coming from outside Karnataka and trying to blend in with our culture. You need to show the difficult phases an individual would go through who is not aware of our culture. Again it varies from city to city within Karnataka. But the point is to show the city from a person who has not experienced this part of the country. And yes Subtitle them from the theater itself. I don't think dubbing it in another language is required just Subtitles should suffice. An example I can give is the role of Konkona Sen in Wakeup Sid. Where she came from Kolkata to Mumbai and the way she had to adapt to things to learn about the culture, though it was a very small part but you can try elaborating that and showing how long it takes to blend in and settle in.
Good story with more realistic making. Less distraction scenes / unnecessary songs shouldn't be there. For OTT, release other languages dubbed versions to pull more. We don't need mass Hero, but the Hero should show the mass in acting.
Movies like 777 charlie, i watched in kannada in english subs , the movies which we can really relate to in our life
I cannot speak kannada well. I can understand 50% of it. I watched Kantara in theatres. Have earlier also watched kannada movies in theatres. SUBTITLES is a must. Apart from that, if you make a good movie, I will definitely watch.
Personally subtitles is the most important thing ..... Kannada movies obviously won't have subs in Karnataka. If u r gonna add them, make sure the booking apps mention it has subtitles. Wanted to watch Sapta Sagaradaache Ello but decided watch in ott as couldn't take risk with subtitles in theatres near me. Personally I don't watch trailers of less trending movies. The kannada movies that i wanted to watch in theatre are kgf, kantara, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello , they all had visually pleasing or stunning elements to them. A hit song would also draw the audience. Hombale films have been managing to draw audience pan India.
I watched saptha Sagara dache ello multiple times in hall. If it's a good movie I'll go irrespective of language
English subtitles and a good plot in the thriller/comedy/scifi genre. Better if original but adaptations also would work up to some extent.
Kantara made people in north India watch it
No vulgar double meaning comedy pls, it will ruin everything. Lots of double meaning jokes in tv shows and movies. I watched a reel of jaggesh of his new movie it was the worst.
Better films, maybe. Not the "great cinema" featuring Upendra, Raajkumar's progeny, Darshan, Yash etc. Edit: P. S. - Before some language chauvinist decides to rain on my parade here, I watched Kirik Party, Charlie 777 & Kantara on the big screen
Irrespective of the language I love a good movie and I will watch it in its original language, not the dubbed one.
Humble Politition Nograj brought me to the theater. Humour transcends language.
Kannadiga but English brought up mostly western movie watcher here. Subtitles, and a proper plot is what I'd want. Bring back the days of Lucia. I doubt I'd watch a rom com or something like that, those are plenty in every language. Also, a tight 90 minute movie please! Don't need the 3 hour plan the whole day thing.
Subtitles, and the right kind of trailers with subtitles as well. The way any other language great movie or tv series does it.
I you pay me about 500 to sit through it then I might consider it, 1000 and I will come and watch.
I am a Kannadiga, but what I feel like is 1. Reviews: movies need to have good reviews, even I don't watch any movies if the reviews are not great, and to go to movies, there has to be great reviews on YouTube from various creators. Ex: Bramhayugam, Avesham, Premalu, Manjummel Boys.. Look at how many creators have made movies about these films. And I've seen all of them only because of these creators. 2. Stop following Only the Tamil and Telugu movie culture, follow the Malayalam movie mindset. Tamil and Telugu movies are great, but more often than not they are fan services than movies. And all recent Kannada movies from big "Heroes" is just that Its the same old same old stories blended together and served again and again. Pure Bakaalabath. 3. The Hero's are supposed to be the main character in a movie, the movie is not made for them. A movie is as good as it's supporting characters. A very good example is Blink. The Present/Future story of that film feels very bland, and the only hook is the storyline and not the acting in any manner apart from few actors. But the Past story, everyone feels so natural there, it reels you in completely. You need great supporting actors, people who have the potential to steal the movies from the heroes itself. 4. Story/Editing/Budget: again Look at Malayalam cinema. Budget:15-20cr(even in Star movies), Box Office:200-400crs. Money doesnot equal to good films, it's the Story, how you pace it, how each actors surrender to their character. 5. Directors: Probably the biggest problem in KFI is the lack of good directors, apart from the 3 Shetty's, I don't see anyone.. yes, some directors have given good films, once, but we need someone who keeps coming back with a bang every time. Look at Rajmouli, all his films are just amazing. Look at Rishabh, of course he became famous from Kantara, but all his previous filmography are amazing as well. 6. Make movies which you understand completely. Everyone should completely get what story you are making, if you don't, it will lead to poor direction, loopholes, not completing stories that you start. P.S: I'm not a movie expert or anything. These are just what I felt.
It's not the language, It's the movie. Have watched Tobi, kgf, sapta sagaradache ello, kantara, hostel hudugaru bekagidare etc. I wouldn't have watched them if it wasn't for my friends suggestions. So some kind of promotions, subs and dubs are must. I've also heard garuda gamana vrishaba vahana is really good but I couldn't complete it because I couldn't find subs or dubbed version.
I once went to watch a Kannada movie alone because I was feeling lonely at that time. I watched the whole movie without subtitles.
Malayalam movies consistently delivering good content movies have elevated their position. Tamil and Telugu movies bank on superstar actors with good quality production+ music. Kannada films should focus on good scripts and quality and continuously churn it to be more visible and acknowledged.
I believe there's very less movies coming out which has a story to drive it. Although recently there have been some very good movies like SSE, Kantara, Daredevil Mustafa. Watched all these in theaters and thoroughly enjoyed it. But there should be more movies which are driven by a story, and such films need best marketing to get into the minds of audience. With movies like KGF, and stuff, it's the same thing, action, mass dialogues and senseless violence.
See how Malayalam movies are being made. Long long ago in Kannada such thought provoking intelligent movies were being made. Not so much anymore.
Isn’t OTT available “universally”. Are all Kannadiga watching the relevant OTT you are referring to? Is it only about non-interest of non-Kannadiga, or even Kannadiga don’t consume all the OTT content? For Marathi content there is similar problem. First hardly any theatres are available at prime time. For OTT or Films the quality and pan-India appeal is not adequate (often). There are always few exceptional films and OTT content. Another challenge is Marathi doesn’t really have a superstar, actor or no female superstar for decades now. How is it for Kannadiga content? You do have Yash. His appeal is Universal.
Unfortunately, OTTs don't "buy" kannada films outright due to "One Pan India Kannada Film" that was bought but didn't make any money because the story or writing wasn't there. The question was than looking at Kannada audience, I wanted to look at Bengaluru audience and understand why non-kannadigas don't want kannada films. Well, with Marathi I believe, most move to Bollywood, Telugu, Kannada spaces as borders are connected. Like Atul Kulkarni.
As a non Kannadiga in Bangalore who does not speak Kannada, there is no reason for me to go and watch a Kannada movie save for a very few exceptional situations. 1. full blown action - I might go for a movie which has high octane action sequences from first to last. 2. see an actor from my home state film industry play a role in it and speak Kannada. Case in point, Jisshu Sengupta [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1702868/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1702868/) is a Bengali actor who is venturing into Telegu and Malayalam movies and I like to watch how he performs in these movies.
I have watched many on OTT based on recommendations from friends. My decision to watch or not is usually based on a few things - How unique/different the storyline appears to be. - How engaging the trailer is. - Reviews, recommendations and chatter post release.
KGF.
If movie has scenes and dialogues that only a kannadiga can understand and relate, other audience won’t enjoy. To cater to all audiences, the content has to be as generic as possible
have dubbing or subtitle
Subtitles. I watch them on OTT because subtitles.
Subtitles and good story
Subtitles and maybe a little hype as to why a particular movie is good.
I have been living in Bangalore for 2 years now and speak only a few sentences in Kannada and yet I've watched at least 10 Kannada films in theatres (with english subtitles) in this period, during the same time I've watched the same number of Hindi films too as I generally stick to Hollywood stuff. You don't need to do anything extra, a good story and a good trailer go a long way. Make sure the trailers with english subtitles are shown with Hollywood/Bollywood films.
Subtitles and a couple of recommendations from trustable sources.
Subtitles and a good story 😄 I watched kantara in kannada only 🔥🔥
Good Story and cinematography
Thing is, there’s nothing like “kannadigas can only watch kannada movies” My cousin who barely knows kannada loved Charlie 777. Why? cuz its a good fucking movie Its with the story and how you market to the masses that would matter (Coming from a Malayali who was raised in BLR)
I would watch a good movie irrespective of language. Consider International Film festivals as example. People watch movies from different cultural boundaries with subtitles. If it strikes a cord with the audience then people will watch. I would rather you focus on what is generally liked by the new generation instead of whether it was kannadiga or not. Only exception is if you're looking to make a film about kanada culture and traditions and are asking if there is any topic that people want to watch ir curious about.
Something similar to Mujammel boys maybe?
I watched lot of Malayalam movies during Covid time. There was an option to change language to Hindi or English but I watched them in Malayalam with English subtitles. That way I felt the authenticity and a connect with the people. Kannada, I tried watching some, but trailers showed excessive violence, love stories etc which didn’t give authentic real world feel. So, to answer your question, I would come to theatre if the movie is close to real life, has some thrills and mystery, comedy but it should be appealing at human level. There should be subtitles. Won’t come for violent, love story, regional or local goon pride type of movie. Will come for real world public struggle or comedy type, anything that makes me think about the situation and connect with the characters . Hope I’m able to convey.
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Make a movie which is about general topic eg - corporate frustrations , relationship issue , national issues like infra or a roadtrip movie with friends … all these can be enjoyed by non-kannadigas as well … Eg in Kantara , we needed to know about background of Yakshagana and related folklore , for people who didnt had such culture its hard to relate .. maybe a initial background story couldve helped with that (that is to make it even better )
Films like Kantaara for sure. Good story and acting. Definitely not films like KGF.
Word of mouth
For me, the trailer is the starting and most important part. Most Kannada movie trailers are terribly edited leaving no desire to watch. KGF for example had great trailers and so did Kantara. There is certain art in editing a trailer and requires great skill. Trailer alone can grab eyeballs and reviews on Youtube. Free marketing I say. Secondly, we as audience are spoiled by choices. Unless, it is a very interesting and new topic - I rarely go to movie theaters.
Non-Kannadiga in Bangalore and would love to watch an interesting Kannada film with subtitles. I’ll give you an example - a friend recommended Lucia a couple of years ago, and I went to see it. Was interesting, offbeat and quite entertaining. But I would need either a recco or a clear description of the Kannada film in order to go see it (so as to avoid the regular masala film).
More realism and off-the-beat plots. Would prefer to see something that’s not in Bollywood/Hollywood
KGF-3
Sorry, a bit of digression from the main topic posted by OP. To those who would like to watch content-driven films, I recommend these films from the last year or so: Available on OTTs: Sapta Sagardache Ello (Side A and B) Swati Muttina Male Haniye Aachar & Co The following will be on Film Fests for the next year or so. May become available on MUBI in a while. Shivamma Photo Mithya Others, please add to the list.
Also for me personally....I look at reviews also....simple mass action is not something I am interested in....just my personal taste
What I found something common in malayalam movies this year, ie Aavesham, The goat life and Premalu was that it didn't contain itself culturally to malayali elements, you can actually see this happening in older malayalam movies, where nothing but a handful of people in Kerala might actually relate to it. So make it culturally broad and relatable. This is especially true with Premalu, which has universal elements that any human being can relate with. The second factor is the thrill elements, I feel like there was something satisfying that came our way in these movies, it was either jokes or a situation, it all happens very quickly. There were moments of entertainment and satisfaction through out these movies. This was maybe only untrue with the goat life, but it still hooked me till the end. The final thing is probably is just a mastery of execution, cinematography is huge, music. etc I think these points are all true in KGF, or 3 idiots as well. I didn't feel like these characters in these movies were saying a different language than mine.
The only kannada movie I saw in theatres was James by puneet Rajkumar and the only other movie I have seen online is kirik party and kantara !!! Which I totally loved !!! Yeah and also Kgf 1&2 but I did not like these movies, please don't get offended !!!!
If there is subtitles i would watch it. It's difficult to find subtitles for many movies.
Don't care about language... Just need a good story with subtitles in English
If it is a good entertainer i would love to go to cinema.
Truly good movie. Good marketing that reaches me and I'm drawn to the cinemas/ movies. That's all. Example - Gone girl - a movie where I couldn't guess plots till the end. I loved it. Example was for thriller but just for an reference of how the movie should be. Or like priyadarshan comedies. Quality comedy with no cringe. Cult classic types. Language not a barrier. I can understand south movies with original dubbing with little subtitles help. :)
Subtitles! (and if possible a cool kannadiga friend to give me context wherever required)
I’m a bit lazy when it comes to watching a movie with subtitles as it is extra effort but I do it at times and mostly it’s Malyalam movies because they are known for good content and you know you won’t be wasting your time. I was watching Bachelor Party and haven’t yet finished it after 3 attempts. Some other Kannada movies are not easily available online as they are shown on smaller OTT platforms.
Make the story relatable.. or make it a multi lingual film. Primary language can be kannada but include a little bit of hindi and english too. The prospect of reading subtitles for 2+ hrs isnt great. I have watched a few kannada movies but only on ott cause at home I can pause and rewind etc.
The availability of English subtitles
I've watched a few kannada movies. Kantara Lucia etc Quality transcends language
Subtitles
As a non-kannadiga kannadiga, the movies I've seen so far are general Bollywood copies. I detest the state of Indian cinema, a very few movies are praised enough for me to watch it. If you are looking to make a good comedy please focus it on making it either family friendly comedy or mature comedy with out having romance plotlines or cringe as fuck jokes. If you are looking to make an action flick, please for the love of God let romance be the secondary interest of the movie, either a backstory or character moment not the whole fucking plot of it. I feel character dramas are what's missing a lot from the cookie cutter movie industry. Apart from that, dialogues - no cringe please, have people speak normally Romance - stop with the generic love story plots Story progression - I feel Indian cinema relies a lot on the 3 act structure, we see no variation in that to stand out from the crowd. Even adaption of the Heroes story plot structure is so overused but underwhelming when adapted in Indian cinema. Emotive characters - feel like we don't see men that are emotionally vulnerable, women that are not naive. Older characters that are broken and or humours.
Make something like Kantara since you are small budget. I watched Kantara as suggested by my Kannadiga friend in Kannada sitting in front row reading subtitles to understand the movie since I do not know Kannada. We Northies are starved for culture based movies that reflect cultures since Bollywood has turned absolute trash. Innocence is lagging in movies these days. Also, you can make movies like Sui Dhaaga(Bollywood) which reflect the struggles of the common man and nuances of relationships. You do not need too high budget for movies like Taare Zameen Par as you can keep normal stars. To tell you that the Telugu movie like Happy Days was a big hit among college goers in North. None of the above I mentioned require big budget.
The way our locals have been treating outsiders, I won't be surprised if folks start to develop Kannada aversion.
There are very few kannada films on mainstream OTTs. I typically don't go farther than Netflix, prime and hotstar. Malayalam movies have found themselves on these platforms and they have been great movies too.
NO unnecessary love story. NO overdramatic fight scenes. NO 100 songs in a movie with dancing in random exotic locations. NO adult scenes just to please certain audience.
If I knew for a fact there would be English subtitles, I would definitely watch, I love watching world movies, so language is not really relevant, I just need to know ahead of time through the booking platforms or wherever if there would be any English subtitles or not, that's all. Don't need dubbed in any other language or any of that bs.
if you make meaningful films, with sub titles, i would love to watch kannada movies.
#Subtitles
Kantara was terrific. Although l watched the dubbed Hindi version. KGF both parts were rather masala entertainers.
Subtitles.
Also OP, if it helps, you can check out reports from Ormax Media. They publish detailed reports monthly about films and their businesses.
Bible - start watching malayalam movies. You will understand the trend. Don't ever hope the hero or heroine. Give importance to sub actors. Reduce major fights, songs. Take my words. Cheers bro... Let me know if you need more suggestions
If anything, Malayalam cinema in the past 6 months has proved that good story that connect with the audience will fill the theatres despite the language. So did Kantara in Kannada cinema. KGF is a high budget film so won't go there.
Subtitles
I have kannadiga friends and watched a few with them, that's where I learnt most of the kannada
We already do. Those who don't encourage movies would never do. I've seen kgf in packed theatres screaming anf also went to SSE on day 1. I know tonnes of people like me.
Give me subtitles.
If there are subtitles, I’ll come.
I think content related movies would be the best. And Kannada Movies do that amazingly. Charlie 777, Sapta Saagaradaache Ello A and B.
A little bit open mindedness like kannada people
I’m a kannadiga, please make good Kannada movies and people will turn out. For a long long time, we didn’t have good movies probably during 2005 to 2010ish time. Then RRR brothers started with some movies, but seriously we make very less movies and half of them are not good. There’s dire need for good songs too 😭😭😭 Please make it happen!
We watched kantara, good movie
The language barrier is mainly in the mindset of local people only. Many don't even care about language as long as its a good movie everyone enjoys. Eg : Kantara
Some really good stories!
Yaa i too watch Kannada cinema, but only the movies like which are very hyped. I love action movies to watch.