Puja, rituals, and prayers: Kannada cinema calls on the Gods as box office numbers dip

Now, the reason this award for Kantara is such a big deal? The film shines a spotlight on the age-old coastal Karnataka ritual of Bhoota Kola, a shamanistic dance performance where local deities are pleased in hopes they return the favour. And speaking of favour, Kannada cinema, which just turned 90, recently made a plea of its own for some divine intervention. In a bid to shake off the ‘misfortune,’ the industry enlisted priests from the Karavali region to perform an epic puja. Karavali-based priest Prakash Ammannaya conducted rituals, decking himself out with Pingara (areca flowers). He also performed Ashlesha Puja, which channels the spirit of the serpent god Naga. Fun fact: Ammannaya had predicted the dark times for Kannada cinema four years ago, so the industry figured it was time to listen.

All ‘in good faith’ in a time of ‘crisis’

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Karnataka Chalanachitra Kalavidara Sangha/Karnataka Film Artists’ Association (KFAA) wasn’t about to take any chances. In a bid to banish the growing list of Kannada cinema’s woes — dwindling box office numbers, the demise of single-screen theatres, and the intense competition due to the OTT onslaught — they rolled up their sleeves and went the whole hog with a series of rituals. Ashlesha Bali, Kalasarpa Dosha — you name it, they summoned it. The goal? To bring some much-needed respite to the struggling industry. Sure, some people rolled their eyes at the whole affair, but senior actor Doddanna would not have it: “We performed this puja for the Kannada film industry in good faith!” Big-shot producer, actor and KFAA secretary Rockline Venkatesh echoed the sentiment: “When all else fails, it’s time to call the gods.”

Despite the grand ritualistic efforts, the mood at the KFAA premises where the pujas were held was anything but celebratory. As the incense wafted through the air, industry representatives voiced their concerns about the downward spiral of Kannada cinema. Umesh Banakar, veteran producer and office-bearer of the Kannada Film Producers’ Association, was candid: “It is really a critical juncture for Kannada cinema in the 90th year of its existence. Most ambitious movies are bombing at the box office left and right, and it’s caught everyone — actors, directors, producers — in a state of panic.” Meanwhile, up-and-coming filmmakers like Pannaga Bharana are calling for a more strategic approach for releases. “We’ve got 10 movies hitting theatres every week, but nobody’s pulling off the magic of Kantara or KGF,” Bharana said, with a note of exasperation. “There’s just no balance between supply and demand.” Rockline Venkatesh, always the straight shooter, laid it bare: “Out of 250 to 300 films churned out annually, only 10 hit the jackpot. That’s a severe crisis, plain and simple.”

Abysmal success rate: Bad luck or wrath of the gods?

Film critics and scholars are just as worried. Chetan Nadiger, editor of kannadascreens.com, didn’t mince words. “Except Kaatera (2023), starring Darshan, none of the Kannada films has really taken off at the box office. Sure, Bheema, starring Duniya Vijay, and the Ganesh-starrer Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi received moderate success and gave us a little hope, but let’s be real — the little success of these two films of 2024 is a bubble waiting to burst,” he predicted with more than a hint of scepticism. “In 2023, out of 230 films, only 15 managed to make a dent at the box office. And of the 125 films released in the first half of 2024, the success rate is negligible. Most haven’t even hit break-even,” he added.

Film writers seem to agree that Kannada cinema’s losing streak isn’t just about bad luck or even the wrath of the gods. A paper — ‘Kannada Film Industry: Searching for its Roots’ — published by Sanket Kulkarni and Rohan Babu in October 2024 suggests the industry’s troubles stem from a lack of connection to its roots. Without tapping into local culture and ethos or crafting distinct, strategic content, Kannada cinema has been left floundering. So, divine rituals aside, it seems like a deeper, more grounded reset might be what the industry really needs.

Box office contribution

Meanwhile, as the prayers go up, the Kannada film industry’s box office numbers are, well, coming down — fast. After hitting a high note with a contribution of 8% to the Indian box office in 2022, that figure nosedived to a meagre 2% in 2023. Ouch. The pandemic might have played a part, sure, but according to national award-winning film writer B. N. Subramanya, it’s also the advent and rise of streaming platforms that’s resulted in fundamental changes in the theatrical value chain, throwing it into chaos. And it’s not just Kannada cinema that’s feeling the burn — this is happening across India, he says.

Kulkarni and Babu, in their paper, lay it out clearly: Kannada cinema in 2022 was basically riding the wave of KGF-2 and Kantara, two films that pretty much carried the entire industry on their shoulders. Even without those two juggernauts, Kannada cinema still pulled in a robust Rs 400+ crore. Fast-forward to 2023? The number didn’t even scrape Rs 200 crore. Oof. Other hits from the glory days of 2022, like James, Gandhada Gudi, Vikrant Rona, 777 Charlie, and sequels like Galipata-2 and Love Mocktail-2, gave the box office a nice boost. “Juxtaposing these films with the kind of films released in 2023, there seems to be a clear dearth of films that have the aspirations or the potential to reach the benchmarks set by the top films of 2022,” write Kulkarni and Babu. The magic is gone, and it’s left the industry scrambling for an encore. 

The issue, as a young filmmaker who did not wish to be named noted, is that every language industry in Indian cinema has its own distinct signature genre and style. Tamil cinema has its big action flicks, Malayalam has its thought-provoking indie dramas, but Kannada cinema? “It’s painful to say that Kannada cinema lacks a definitive identity of this nature,” said the filmmaker. “The language factor significantly impacts the theatrical ecosystem support available for showcasing regular mid-sized Kannada films that get released every other week. To overcome the challenge and earn a spot on the box office leaderboard, such films need to have a strong content strategy,” he added.

But instead of addressing the hard facts on the ground with some good old-fashioned problem-solving, the industry is turning to divine intervention to bail them out of choppy waters. “It’s high time for the various industry bodies — Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, Karnataka Film Producers’ Association, Karnataka Film Distributors’ Association, and especially the 15-year-old Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy — to actually sit down and discuss the issues the Kannada cinema stares and find plausible solutions,” said an independent filmmaker, who prefers to remain nameless as he doesn’t want to antagonise the umbrella organisations of Kannada cinema or stir the pot with them.

Meanwhile, just when Kannada film exhibitors thought things couldn’t get any worse, along comes the Karnataka government’s Welfare Bill for cine workers that levies cess up to 2% on movie tickets for a welfare fund. The Karnataka Labour Department introduced a bill in the State legislature in the monsoon session to set up a welfare board for film artists and cultural activists. “When single screens are being closed one by one in Karnataka, the 2 per cent cess will be a blow to the exhibition sector as footfalls in the theatres will further dip following this cess. We will take a delegation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and apprise him of the problems arising out of this development. We will also address other problems being faced by Kannada cinema at the same time,” said K V Chandrashekar, President, Karnataka Film Exhibitors’ Association.

So, to sum it up: prayers, pujas, and politics are in full swing. But whether it’ll be enough to pull Kannada cinema out of its current slump? That’s a question even the gods may be struggling to answer.