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For years, to the northern Indian audience, 'south' films meant Tamil and Telugu. These were the two industries that had stars who would cross over in Hindi films, and some of their films would do good business as well. Malayalam was regarded as good cinema, but it never reached the masses in the north. And Kannada cinema was relegated to being the poor cousin of the other three. It was KGF that changed this perception. The film series' record-breaking box office collections, particularly in the north, raised the stature of Kannada cinema. Soon, hits like Vikrant Rona and Kantara followed suit, and the scale of Kannada films was elevated.
For years, to the northern Indian audience, 'south' films meant Tamil and Telugu. These were the two industries that had stars who would cross over in Hindi films, and some of their films would do good business as well. Malayalam was regarded as good cinema, but it never reached the masses in the north. And Kannada cinema was relegated to being the poor cousin of the other three. It was KGF that changed this perception. The film series' record-breaking box office collections, particularly in the north, raised the stature of Kannada cinema. Soon, hits like Vikrant Rona and Kantara followed suit, and the scale of Kannada films was elevated.
Chaluve Gowda, producer of films like KGF and Kantara, believes that the audience in the north is aware of Kannada films now. "Our vision was to take our stories outside and make them universal. For instance, that ritual in Kantara (Bhuta Kola) has become a worldwide phenomenon. That was our intention," he says, talking about the success of his films.
In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Gowda, who is the co-founder of Hombale Films, says people's responses to them have changed over the last few years after the success of their films. "We went to a big star for KGF years ago. They asked, 'Where do these Kannada films even run?' At that time, not many people knew about Kannada films outside of Karnataka. They knew a few names like Dr Rajkumar. But that was it. That has definitely changed now."
KGF, starring Yash, went on to gross ₹250 crore, becoming the highest-grossing Kannada film at the time. The record was broken by its sequel - KGF Chapter 2, which amassed a historic ₹1250 crore worldwide.
Now, the same people approach Gowda and his team for opportunities, he says with a laugh. "We have been successful, and the bar is set high," says Gowda cautiously, "Now, we have to maintain the standard, or be better than that."
Hombale Films is gearing up for the release of the prequel Kantara: Chapter 1 this October. Gowda informs us that they plan to go on the floors with the sequel of Prabhas' Salaar next year, and have also signed Hrithik Roshan on for a Hindi film.
Source: HindustanTimes
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