Karnataka is the second biggest market for Telugu films. A movie like Baahuabli 2 has proved that it could make a bigger business than the local Kannada movies. Hence, it is not surprising to see Tollywood superstars these days visiting Bengaluru to promote their films.
On Monday, 25 September, Mahesh Babu was in Bengaluru, to promote his latest movie Spyder which is releasing in about 250 screens in Karnataka while the Bengaluru screen count alone is estimated to be around 110.
"Tollywood films are not watched by Telugu-speaking class alone, but also Kannadigas. The market is estimated to have grown bigger by at least 30-40 percent in Karnataka in the last decade," a distributor told International Business Times. "Mahesh Babu is a big name in South India and his fan following has spread across Karnataka. So, the film is getting a massive screen count," he added.
"The distribution rights of Spyder were acquired by Goldie Films for Rs 10.6 crore. This is the first movie of Mahesh Babu to be distributed by Goldie Films and it has left no stone unturned to give a wide release for the bilingual film," says a trade tracker.
Pro-dubbing Voices Up the Ante
However, not all people are happy with the latest development as pro-dubbing activists have used the opportunity to take on the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and against those who claim to be the protectors of the Kannada language and film industry.
"The KFCC fights tooth and nail to prevent the non-Kannada content from being dubbed into our Kannada, but turns a blind eye when other language films occupy a large number of screens in the state," Ganesh Chetan, the president of Kannada Grahakara Koota, who spearheads the pro-dubbing movement, slams the chamber.
Ganesh Chetan feels that the non-Kannada films should be released taking the population of its speakers into consideration. "If dubbed in Kannada, Kannadigas who are watching Telugu and Tamil films will shift back to their mother tongue and the original version will not get more than 100 screens," he pointed out.
He suspects a nexus between the non-Kannada producers-distributors and the people within Kannada film industry. "KFCC could have fought for our rights and raised the issue at Competition Commission of India (CCI) about the dumping of non-Kannada films in the state. It is a hegemonic act to force feed other language content on Kannadigas. This will have long-lasting consequences as it is changing the demography." Ganesh Chetan said.
Meanwhile, he has started a campaign on Twitter with the hashtag - #KFIKannadaDroha.
