Raj B Shetty has a special note of gratitude for team Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare

The Kannada film Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare had a good momentum going for it prior to its release, what with the promotion strategies being a big hit with audiences. But it was coming to theatres on a day that also had two Hollywood biggies – Oppenheimer and Barbie – and the general atmosphere has been that audiences were not coming to theatres for Kannada movies. So there was apprehension as to whether it would be any different for Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare.

The film released in theatres today and the response on day 1 has been fantastic, so much so that shows are being increased for the film. Kannada actor-filmmaker Raj B Shetty, who is bringing his film Toby to theatres in just over a month, was among the first to congratulate the team and thank them for dispelling the notion that audiences are not coming to theatres and that if they do, they will do it only for big productions. Raj wrote a handwritten note for the team of Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare, in which he stated that many like him have been despairing that Kannada audiences have not been supporting films in theatres and that the success of their film has affirmed his belief that all hope is not lost yet. “Thanks for dispelling the notion that to get people to theatres you need multi-crore mega budgets, A-list stars or big directors. This is a movie made by a bunch of crazy guys and its success gives others like them the confidence that they too can come into the industry,” he wrote among other things.

Raj, who is releasing his film Toby on August 25, has been often quoted as saying that one of his major intentions behind making it was to bring audiences back to theatres and the fact that a film with no known stars and made on a limited budget is creating waves in the Kannada film industry is encouraging for filmmakers like him.