Karnataka Film Awards recipients left in limbo as govt sits on holding the function

“And the award goes to…” Renowned Kannada filmmaker P Sheshadri, a recipient of nine National Film Awards, eagerly awaits the announcement from the compère at the annual Karnataka State Film Awards programme. The words he longs to hear never come.

The Karnataka government had bestowed the prestigious award upon him. The then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had made the announcement in this regard on January 10, 2020, before he demitted office in July 2021.

Even after two years of the announcement, Sheshadri is still waiting to receive the award. Since the award announced was for the calendar year 2018, it means that the Karnataka government has not conferred the State Film Awards for the past five years.

Besides Sheshadri, veteran actor Srinivasamurthy and cinematographer BS Basavaraju are also waiting to receive the Dr Rajkumar and Dr Vishnuvardhan awards, respectively. These awards, conferred by the Karnataka government, recognise their significant contributions to Kannada cinema.

Endless wait

Similar is the plight of many film personalities in Kannada cinema. Over a hundred individuals in the industry are desperately waiting to receive their respective awards at a gala ceremony to be organised by the Karnataka government to give away the awards of the past five years. But it appears that the government, especially the Chief Minister, have been preoccupied with watching Kannada movies and granting them tax exemptions. Amidst this predicament, the anticipation and hopes of these deserving artists remain suspended in a state of uncertainty.

On November 16, 2016, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, then in his previous tenure, had made a cinematically historic announcement. He declared that the Karnataka State Film Awards would be presented annually, specifically on April 24, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar. This promise was made during the award ceremony for 2014 and 2015.

Also read: Kannada cinema flounders in first half of 2023; just 5 of 118 new films break even

Siddaramaiah kept his promise and conferred the Karnataka State Film Awards for 2016 on April 24, 2017. But his successors, HD Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, were unable to continue with the tradition. This departure from the practice left the film fraternity disheartened, dimming their hopes.

A renewed sense of hope has now emerged with Siddaramaiah once again assuming the role of CM. The Kannada industry eagerly anticipates the revival of the annual awards under his leadership, as he has demonstrated his commitment to recognising the contributions of the Kannada film industry.

Committees constituted

The Karnataka government had constituted experts’ committees to select high-quality Kannada and other sub-regional films produced in Karnataka in several languages, including Tulu, Konkani, Beary, Kodava, which are spoken in various regions of the state, for 2017 and 2018. The committees had submitted a list of films and film personalities chosen for the award. But awards could not be conferred to the recipients.

While the government is citing the pandemic and legal complications for not presenting the awards for 2017 and 2018, the film fraternity is disputing this claim. Some awardees are arguing that it is a known fact that COVID-19 hit Karnataka only at the fag-end of 2019 or in the beginning of 2020.

Contradicting the claim of the government, National Award recipient filmmaker BS Lingadevaru argued that the neighbouring Kerala government had formed film selection committees even when the state was reeling under the effect of pandemic. The government announced and conferred awards.

Urging the Karnataka government to follow the Kerala model, Lingadevaru said: “There is absolute lack of willingness and commitment of the Karnataka government to honour Kannada cinema personalities. In Kerala, the government celebrates cinema and supports cinema more than any other government in the country. Karnataka has to follow the Kerala model and promote cinema.”

Also read: Kannada films increase focus on original content, but not everybody is happy

According to sources in the government, the experts’ committees, constituted by the state government, are yet to watch and select films produced and released for calendar years 2019, 2020 and 2021. The films selected by the expert committee for 2018 got stuck in a legal tangle as a producer questioned the violation of norms by the selection committee. Kudlu Ramakrishna, the award-winning director for the year 2017, caustically responded: “Award-winners of 2017 and 2018 might have already forgotten the fact that their films have been selected for the prestigious state film awards.”

The blame game

Some filmmakers, whose films have been chosen for the awards in 2017 and 2018, are holding cinema bodies, including the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) and the Karnataka Film Artists’ Association (KFAA) for not taking corrective measures. Disputing this claim, Ba Ma Harish, president of KFCC, said he had brought the issue to the notice of the Chief Minister during his visit on Thursday, and Siddaramaiah had promised to look into the issue.

The general opinion among the film fraternity is that Kannada cinema, which ranks fifth in terms of the annual output of films in India, is probably not a priority for the state government’s Department of Information and Public Relations. “The government has completely neglected Kannada cinema and not conferring annual awards is a testimony for our allegation. It has not considered cinema as an industry,” lamented Rockline Venkatesh, a prominent film producer.