The Hindu : Karnataka News : `Ban' on non-Kannada films causes chaos

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 14, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

`Ban' on non-Kannada films causes chaos

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, AUG. 13. While no new non-Kannada movies were released in Bangalore on Friday, many cinemas already showing older films in other languages continued to screen them.

Five new releases — two in Hindi, one Tamil and two Telugu — were due for release. Earlier this week, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) requested distributors not to release any new non-Kannada films.

Panel report

The distributors and exhibitors (theatre owners) had agreed to this, anticipating that the Pandey Committee appointed by the State Government would submit its report within a week. The committee was appointed by the Government to look into the problems and grievances of the Kannada film industry, which has gone through a bad phase lately.

Cancellations

There was confusion at the some of the cinemas where new non-Kannada films were to be screened. They either cancelled shows or in most cases, continued with the movies they were already screening. At some cinemas, disappointed crowds were seen arguing with ticket counter personnel who expressed helplessness.

The film distributors and exhibitors are none too keen on a prolonged ban on new non-Kannada movies. Because of the city's multi-lingual population, Tamil and Telugu movies draw huge crowds. Telugu stars such as Chiranjeevi and Tamil film heroes such as Rajanikant and Kamal Hasan even have their fan clubs here and they eagerly look forward to the new releases.

The exhibitors also readily screen these films because of the crowds they attract. The influx of businessmen and professionals from the north means large audiences for Hindi movies too.

Video piracy

Video piracy, which thrives mostly on non-Kannada films, is a worrying factor for film distributors and exhibitors. If the impasse continues over the Government's assistance to Kannada films, and if no new non-Kannada films are released for weeks together, it will cause huge losses to them and the trade in pirated CDs will thrive. According to film industry sources, the Government itself will lose about Rs. 25 lakh in entertainment tax each week while the distributors and exhibitors may lose Rs. 75 lakh if new releases continue to be delayed.

`Meaningless demand'

H.D. Kumaraswamy, MLA and film producer, has objected to the demand for a ban on screening non-Kannada films in the State for seven weeks after their release.

In a statement here today, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the demand was meaningless as Kannada films in the State were already getting exemption from entertainment tax and subsidy. The producers could not make an adequate number of films to meet the requirement of all the cinemas.

A solution

The solution was to make Kannada films that were qualitatively better than non-Kannada films. This would ensure that people preferred Kannada films, he added.

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