And now Karnataka messes up on movies

And now Karnataka messes up on movies
Financial Express

As if the Bangalore infrastructural fiasco and history of riparian war with neighbour Tamil Nadu were not enough to damage Karnataka’s reputation, the state’s enfeebled film industry, once a proud presence in the national filmscape of the 1970s has further sullied the state’s fair name with a moratorium on non-Kannada films.

The only ‘new’ non-Kannada film released in Karnataka in the last two months is the 40-year-old Mughal-e-Azam.

Amidst the ongoing controversy over the moratorium on the release of non-Kannada films in the state, theatre owners are afraid of releasing new Hindi films. This, despite the Karnataka high court and the Supreme Court rulings against setting any moratorium period by the Kannada film community.

New non-Kannada films that did not release this Friday (November 12) despite being slated for release in defiance of the moratorium, were Ram Gopal Verma’s Naach, Sharukh Khan-starrer Veer-Zaara and Akshay Kumar- starrer Aitraz.

Sources attribute the holdback to Kannada film producers, directors and film stars who had reservations against the release of non-Kannada films in Karnataka.

Besides, the few theatres in Bangalore which released new Hindi and English movies recently faced the ire of Kannada activists who stoned and damaged cinemas. “We are too scared to release any new non-Kannada films,” said a theatre owner.

Meanwhile, some producers in Mumbai have planned to bring Bollywood films to the state directly, without the involvement of local distributors who are bound by the moratorium.

But the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) president, HD Gangaraju, told the FES, “Mumbai producers cannot release the films in Karnataka; it is against the by-laws of our state. First they have to register themselves with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and, then, they have to register the film which they want to release.”

Some film exhibitors are planning to meet deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah to circumvent the impasse. But Mr Siddaramiah has reportedly told the film community that he would watch the situation for the next two months.

“So, there is no point in meeting him again,” pointed out some others.