Analysis: Kannada film industry to lose Rs. 44 crore

With the seven-week norm on other language films in the State getting murkier day-by-day, the need of the hour is not to find fault but an amicable solution to the problem.

If some good sense does not prevail upon the people involved in the ongoing tussle between other language films and Kannada film producers, Karnataka may lose its famous generosity and hospitality tag.

Instead of punishing the violators of four-print norm, will it be justifiable to punish all the people for no fault? For example Hindi and Tamil distributors seldom flout the norm of four-print.

It is the two Telugu film distributors who had misused the norm thus inviting trouble for all other distributors and exhibitors.

The proposed embargo on Kannada films would have an adverse impact on the tinsel world in Karnataka.

While the State Government will lose Rs.44 crore revenue collected as entertainment tax on other language films, producers will find it difficult to utilise the services of best technicians from Hyderabad and Chennai.



Though the State Government has exempted Kannada films from entertainment tax, there was no serious effort from producers, director or technicians to develop the required infrastructure for Kannada film industry.

“It is very unfortunate that Kannada film industry failed miserably to live up to the expectations of the government even after availing number of benefits like 100 tax-free and subsidy to quality films,” says a well-known director on condition of anonymity.

If Tamil and Telugu film industry continue with the ban on Kannada industry, it would be very difficulty for artistes like Prakash Rai, Srikanth, Arjun Sarja, Rakshitha, Rekha, Malavika, Chaya Singh, Shobaraj and Avinash, who will lose their assignments in Tamil and Telugu films. Avinash’s wife Malavika is a busy artiste in Tamil teleserials.

Rubbing more salt into the wound is the lack of DTS facility in Bangalore. Though Prasad Laboratories is present in Bangalore, they do the DTS work in Chennai.

As the Kannada film industry depends on junior artistes from Chennai and Hyderabad, it would be very difficult for film directors to find suitable junior artistes in Karnataka.

The embargo will also affect the Tamil and Telugu distributors who have already paid lakhs of rupees as advance amount.

And it would be a herculean task for Kannada film producers to feed more than 1,000 theatres across the State and most of the exhibitors will have no option other than converting cinema theatres into marriage halls or shopping complexes to get revenue.

However, some of the Kannada film producers said the embargo will have no effect on Kannada film industry.