I

IANS News

7 Articles

Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

Articles Written By IANS News

Covid Third Wave Dampens Sandalwood's Sankranthi Spirit
1607 days ago
Sandalwood

Covid Third Wave Dampens Sandalwood's Sankranthi Spirit

Bengaluru, Jan 14 (IANS) The Covid-19 surge has proved to be costly for the Kannada film industry, aka Sandalwood, as the movies that made a good start at the box office are not being able to capitalize on their success.## The reason? The Karnataka government has limited occupancy in cinema theatres to 50 percent because of the third wave.## Producers who had planned grand Sankranthi releases have deferred their movies. And the film trade estimates that by the time the third wave peters down, scores of theatres across the state will permanently close down.## 'Badava Rascal', starring actor Dhananjaya, was released on December 24 and showed all signs of becoming a hit. The movie team had already begun a tour across the state to celebrate its success, but it received a rude shock when the 50 percent limitation was announced in the first week of January.## Dhananjaya stated that though the makers were happy with the box-office pickings, the restrictions had affected the prospect of the movie doing even better.## The Nikhil Kumaraswamy-starrer big-budget movie 'Rider', also released on December 24, had begun well at the box office, but then had to incur heavy losses. 'Arjun Gowda', the movie starring Prajwal Devraj, was also hit badly by the state government's decision.## The big Kannada movies will now be slated for release during the Varamahalakshmi, Ganesha, and Vijayadashami festivals. In fact, when the second Covid wave hit hard, major releases, including pan-India projects such as the Kichcha Sudeep-starrer 'Vikranth Rona', had to be postponed.## No Kannada film has been released after December 31. With experts predicting that the third wave will peak in February, the producers are unsure about releasing their movies. Industry sources said there won't be any big releases for another two months, which is going to spell doom for theatre owners.## By the time the third wave subsides, industry sources said, more than 200 theatres will shut down permanently. With no new movie being released, they are managing with movies which have released last month, even with 50 percent occupancy.## Stay tuned...

Read Article
Kannada Film Industry's Lockdown Woes: Release Of Big-Ticket Movies Postponed
1615 days ago
Sandalwood

Kannada Film Industry's Lockdown Woes: Release Of Big-Ticket Movies Postponed

Bengaluru, Jan 6 (IANS) The Kannada film industry has been badly hit after the state government's announcement of imposing a 50 percent restriction on seating capacity in cinema theatres and multiplexes. The release of big-budget movies including pan-India projects scheduled to be released in January and February has been stalled.## One among the most anticipated movies in the Kannada film industry 'Ek Love Ya' directed by star director Prem was scheduled to be released on January 21. Kichcha Sudeep's pan-India project 'Vikranth Rona' was all set to release on February 24.## Darling Krishna and Milana-starrer 'Love Mocktail 2', sequel of super hit 'Love Mocktail', young actor-director Srini's 'Old Monk' and actor Sharan's 'Avatarapurusha' were all set to see a grand release in the coming days.## With the government's decision of imposing semi-lockdown along with night curfew and weekend curfews, the film industry has again gone back into the deep water situation.## Director Prem has already announced the postponement of the release of his movie 'Ek Love Ya'. Others are also likely to make an announcement regarding postponing their movie release dates soon.## The producers of the Kannada film industry, which has a smaller market compared to Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam industries, have taken a huge risk by investing in pan-India projects.# Sudhakar Bhandari, one of the producers of 'Vikranth Rona' which is being made in six languages says, "We are on shaky ground to determine the release date. Next week there is a meeting and a decision will be taken. The team had planned an event on Jan 3 in Mumbai. Then suddenly there were curbs on the organization of events there", he explained.## As far as lockdown is concerned, there are two issues. There is fear of a pandemic. Because of the fear, the government takes the decision of imposing a lockdown. There should be an attempt to prevent theatres from being soft targets and action should be taken to make theatres infection-free with available technology, he opines.## "We are deprived of our right to work in the backdrop of lockdown. Including the film industry, all industry people should come together to devise action plans. The private hospital mafia should not control things, the things have to be dealt with with a scientific approach. The aftereffects of lockdown are also near-fatal", he says.## During the lockdown, people reconnected with entertainment. OTT is a positive point but OTT platforms alone cannot be relied upon. The films have been ready to be released for one year. There is no stability and a solution should be found for this impasse, he explains.## Producer Anil Bidhahas explained that the producers would have spent a lot of money during the release of the film and all that would go to waste now. "Politicians can do anything. There are no curbs for political rallies. If a producer steps out of the industry, it is a loss for one generation of artists and technicians", he says.## Big stars' movies will rake in moolah just after four days, later they will earn more with OTT and television rights. The newcomers won't get theatres, if the movie fails to make a mark, there won't be takers for OTT and television, he explains.## Before the imposition of lockdown, the movies which got a wonderful beginning amid the fears of the Covid third wave-like 'Badava Rascal' and 'Rider', will now have to incur huge losses. The team of 'Badava Rascal' has already started touring across the state to mark the success and promote the movie is also now saddened.## The Kannada film industry had received a big jolt after the death of superstar Puneeth Rajkumar but it managed to stay afloat as big movies 'Salaga' and 'Kotigobba 3' were released later drew huge crowds to theatres. At a time when things seemed to settle down, the imposition of lockdown has once again dampened the spirits.## Stay tuned...

Read Article
Kannada film industry eyes a pan-India footprint in 2022
1623 days ago
Sandalwood

Kannada film industry eyes a pan-India footprint in 2022

Bengaluru, Dec 30 (IANS) The Kannada film industry, following in the footsteps of Tollywood, is all set to leave its mark on the pan-India market in the upcoming year. ## Kannada films were once known for being mainly arthouse productions and festival circuit favourites, but with the commercial success of the action drama 'KGF-1', Sandalwood can claim to have arrived on the national screen. The industry is looking up to the sequel, 'KGF-2', which is slated to be released in July next year, to give it the boost it is so looking forward to. ## After enjoying an exalted reputation for quite some time in the second half of the 1900s, when directors such as G.V. Iyer, M.S. Sathyu, Girish Karnad, B.V. Karanth and Girish Kasaravalli made headline news, the Kannada film industry has lived with the ignominy of being dubbed as the inferior cousin of Tollywood (Telugu), Kollywood (Tamil) and Mollywood (Malayalam) in terms of budgets, market penetration and content. ## But it has been given a new lease of life by the rise of a pan-India superstar in the form of the 'KGF-1' star, Yash. The actor has also spoken about the Kannada film industry on various platforms and how he took it upon himself as a challenge to prove that it's on a par with other language film industries. ## In the year going by, the Kannada film industry received a jolt when its superstar Puneeth Rajkumar met with a sudden death on October 29. With the entire state in a state of mourning over the loss of a beloved star, the producers of the big-budget movie 'Bajarangi' had to suffer huge financial setbacks. ## The industry, however, managed to get the box office cash registers ringing again as large crowds welcomed 'Kotigobba-3' and 'Salaga'. Later, 'Garuda Gamana Vrushaba Vahana', 'Madagaja', 'Badava Rascal' and 'Rider' also managed to put up a good show at the box office and drew huge crowds despite the Omicron variant fears. ## The much-anticipated events in the coming year will be the posthumous release of the Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer documentary 'Gandhada Gudi', directed by the popular wildlife documentary filmmaker J.S. Amoghavarsha, and the commercial movie 'James' directed by Chetan Kumar. 'Gandhada Gudi', meanwhile, is expected to make a mark at the national level. ## The producers and actors are now focusing more on pan-India presentations and expanding the canvas of their movies. After 'KGF-2', the Kichcha Sudeep-starrer 'Vikranth Rona' is slated to be a pan-India movie. This Anup Bhandari directorial is said to be one of the biggest releases of the Kannada film industry in the upcoming year. ## Super Star Upendra, who's popular in Tollywood, is ready to make a grand entry on the national scene with 'Kabja', which is being produced in five languages, including Hindi. 'Home Minister', 'Trishulam' and 'Lagaam' are Upendra's other big movies which will be released in 2022. ## 'Banaras', starring Zaid Khan and Sonal Monteiro, has also been made on a huge canvas. The film is being released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. The movie is directed by Jayatheertha. ## Rakshith Shetty, known for his experiments, is rolling out '777 Charlie', which is about the journey of a dog named Charlie. The movie is to be released in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil. Shetty's 'Sapta Sagaradache Yello' has also generated a lot of curiosity and is most likely to make a mark nationally. ## Director Prem is ready with his new experiment with newcomers 'Ek Love Ya' and Rishab Shetty is all set to rock with 'Bell Bottom 2'. Super Star Darshan is quietly busy with 'Kranthi'. After the success of the Telugu version of 'Robert', the actor is expected to expand the footprint of the Kannada film industry. ## Dhruv Sarja's 'Martin', Abhishek Ambareesh's 'Bad Manners', Niranjan's 'Super Star', Dr Shivarajkumar's 'Veda', Srimurali's 'Bagheera' and Darling Krishna's 'Love Mocktail 2' are the most eagerly awaited movies of Kannada cinema in 2022. ## Speaking to IANS, Umesh Banakar, a film producer and actor, stated that there is a steady increase in the number of pan-India projects led by the Kannada film industry. "There is still scope for content-oriented films," he stated, pointing out that the number of cinema theatres in Karnataka has come down to 650 to 675 from 1,700. "I owned three theatres. I had to close them down. It is difficult to compete with multiplexes and after digitization theatres are struggling," Banakar said. ## Ba. Ma. Harish, former secretary of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, explained that even after the return of Covid-19, the Kannada film industry is abuzz. 'KGF-2' and 'Vikrant Rona' are all set for pan-India rollouts and even newcomers are taking up big projects. The Kannada film industry will soon be on a par, Harish said, with its Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam counterparts. ## Kannada movies are also making their presence felt on OTT platforms. Dhananjay's 'Ratnan Prapancha' was the first big Kannada release on OTT and it managed to get a good response. 'Love Mocktail', 'Diya', 'Ikkat', 'French Biryani' are the movies that became popular on OTT. ##

Read Article
Veteran Kannada director K.V. Raju passes away
1629 days ago
Sandalwood

Veteran Kannada director K.V. Raju passes away

Bengaluru, Dec 24 (IANS) Veteran Kannada director, writer K.V. Raju passed away on Friday at his residence in Bengaluru. Raju has directed Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 'Indrajeet' and directed Kajol and Jitendra in 'Udhar Ki Zindagi'. ## Raju has directed super hit Kannada movies 'Yudhakanda', 'Belli Modagalu', 'Indrajith', 'Kadana', 'Belli Kalungara' and critically acclaimed 'Hulia' movie. He had also recently worked as a screenplay and dialogue writer for the yet to be released 'Satyam'.## Raju entered the film industry in 1982 as an associate director to K.V. Jayaram in his movie, 'Baadada Hoo'. Raju made his debut as a director and writer with the movie 'Olave Baduku' in 1984.## Raju became a sensation in the Kannada film industry by giving blockbusters in the 80's and 90's. He worked with most of the Kannada superstars. He ventured into Hindi film industry with his film 'Indrajeeth' starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jayaprada.## He also directed two other Hindi films, 'Udhar Ki Zindagi' (1994) and 'Khooni Jung' (2004). He is recognised for his powerful, strong, realistic dialogues and sharp editing.## He also gave opportunities to Kannada actors Devraj, Jaggesh and Shashikumar who went on to become big stars. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For More Such Updates.

Read Article
Vikram's son Dhruv creates special video as superstar turns 54
2245 days ago
Sandalwood

Vikram's son Dhruv creates special video as superstar turns 54

Chennai, April 17 (IANS) Kennedy John Victor, popular among fans as Vikram, is one of Tamil cinema's biggest superstars. Friday is Vikram's birthday and his son Dhruv Vikram has posted a special video.## Dhruv's video sums up all that defines Vikram. It traces the actor's rise from his early days as a theatre artist, later a dubbing artiste, before he got a break in films. However, the journey wasn't as simple as it seems. It is laced with struggles before the actor started being revered for his talent.## Today, at 54, Vikram has done it all -- from winning the National Award to hitting the box office jackpot. Over the years, his fans have fondly come to refer to him as Chiyaan.## Dhruv's video has been made taking all the above facts into account. It features scenes from some of Vikram's most challenging roles, including, "Sethu", "Pithamagan" and "I" among numerous others.## He posted the video with the caption: "Happy Birthday Chiyaan, here's a video from your biggest fan."## Dhruv made his acting debut last year with the film "Adithya Verma", a remake of the Telugu blockbuster "Arjun Reddy". The young actor took to his Instagram page to thank his father for his support and posted: "If I'm able to address over a million people today, it is only because of one man's tireless work and grit toward making this film against all odds. Even when I was losing hope and sight of a bigger picture, he took it upon himself to show me the way, to show me that life will make you doubt yourself, It will push you to the edge of giving up, but anything is possible if you decide to work forward and never look back. 'Adithya Varma' was all you Dad."## "It may have been a remake but I know it will remain the film that's closest to my heart because, through this process, I got to learn the craft from someone who's work I'd been a fan of for as long as I can remember. And that was you. Adithya was a mere concept in your brain that you brought to life for me. Your vision put me here today. And I promise to work toward making our dreams come true. I know I can never be the legend that you are, but I say that with so much pride. Thank you for AV. And @the_real_chiyaan and I thank you all again for a million," Dhruv added.## It is rumored that Dhruv Vikram's next film is likely to be directed by Gautham Menon. Meanwhile, Vikram was shooting for Ajay Gnanamuthu film "Cobra" in Russia, before the lockdown. He is also a part of Mani Ratnam's ambitious film "Ponniyin Selvan".## Stay tuned...

Read Article
Kannada celluloid comedian 'Bullet' Prakash dead
2255 days ago
Sandalwood

Kannada celluloid comedian 'Bullet' Prakash dead

Bengaluru, April 7 (IANS) Kannada's popular comedian 'Bullet' Prakash (44) died at a private hospital in the city following multi-organ failure, an official said on Monday.## "Prakash passed away in the evening (4.45 p.m.) due to multi-organ failure, including liver and kidneys after he was put on a ventilator earlier in the day," a hospital spokesman told IANS.## Prakash was admitted in the specialty hospital on Cunningham road in the city centre on March 31 for treatment as vital organs were in serious condition.## Prakash was also a member of the ruling BJP.## Fans nicknamed him 'Bullet' for seen riding in the city over the years the Royal Enfield motorbike, which is as heavy and sturdy as he was in height and size.## According to the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce, Prakash acted in over 200 Kannada films in a career spanning over two decades. He acted as a comedian in hit films like "Mast Maja Madi", "Aryan", "Aithalakkadi" and "Mallikarjuna".## Prakash debuted on the silver screen in 2002 and acted along with Kannada superstars Puneet Rajkumar, Darshan and Upendra.## Stay tuned...

Read Article
Kannada actor Prabhu Mundkur a huge admirer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's work
2269 days ago
Sandalwood

Kannada actor Prabhu Mundkur a huge admirer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's work

Bengaluru, March 24 (IANS) Known for his role in the Kannada movie "Urvi", actor Prabhu Mundkur is eagerly waiting to make his debut in Bollywood, and he has a wish to be launched by directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajkumar Hirani.## "I really want to be launched in Bollywood by film directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajkumar Hirani. As a viewer, I have always loved watching their work. Hope I soon make my debut in Bollywood," Prabhu said.## Currently, Prabhu has plenty of Kannada movies, including "Mysore Diaries" and "Maya Kannadi", in his kitty.## "Regional films are not limited to a group of viewers. If we do our best and make it a super hit...people will do watch the movie in their desired language. So it similarly gives an actor an opportunity to grow. No one has any kind of boundaries. As an artist, I want to grow and work in regionals, Hindi television, and Bollywood," he added.## For more and latest news about Sandalood, stay tuned with us.

Read Article