The dubbing issue surfaces time and again in Sandalwood. The latest buzz is that Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's "Kochadaiiyaan" is all set to be dubbed into Kannada, thereby setting a new precedent in the film industry.
Krishnegowda, the president of dubbing film chamber, has told Chitraloka that they have procured the dubbing rights of "Kochadaiiyaan" and will start working on it shortly. They are planning to release the film in February.
The multilingual film was an animated movie directed by Soundarya Ashwin, the daughter of Rajinikanth. Deepika Padukone had played the main female lead in the flick.
He adds that the dubbing script will be ready in the next two days and the process will be over by the end of this month. Krishnegowda has plans to make it big by roping in original singers to croon the tracks for the Kannada version.
The makers want Rajinikanth to launch the audio of the Kannada version of "Kochadaiiyaan", but it is not clear whether the Tamil superstar has agreed to grace the function. Krishnegowda ends on the note that they have many other films lined up for dubbing in Kannada.
There has been an unofficial ban on dubbing in Kannada since the 1960s. The Film Chamber and artists have always wanted restrictions on other language contents being dubbed into Kannada. However, a case on the issue was filed a few years ago at the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which said that the ban on dubbing was "illegal" and passed the verdict in favour of dubbing.
Nonetheless, the industry bigwigs including actors and filmmakers are united over the issue even as some sections of producers desperately want other language films to be dubbed into Kannada.
The heads of various groups in Sandalwood believe that the dubbing culture will take a toll on Kannada films/artistes. The lack of theatres in the state has been a major issue for Sandalwood as local movies are often forced to make way for non-Kannada biggies. The dubbing culture would add to their growing woes, the industry believes.
