Yogaraj Bhat: Audiences are not watching Kannada movies in theatres because…

For quite a while, Kannada filmmakers had one complaint – audiences are not coming to theatres. Back then, the commonly cited reason was that movie-goers were tired of the same old formulaic films and wanted novelty. In the post-pandemic era, experimental cinema was the order of the day for a large section of the Kannada film industry, but then again, the few films that clicked with audiences were either star-driven, big-budget visual spectacles, a combination of the two, or just something that took them by pleasant surprise.

While the first hit of 2024 came in August of that year, which was followed by a handful only, the first 2 months of 2025 have been dismal. Close to 60 films hit theatres, with only 1, Choo Mantar reporting adequate footfalls and break-even. Filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat, whose last two films, Garadi and Karataka Damanaka did not find favour with audiences, is ready with his next, Manada Kadalu at a time like this, when Kannada audiences are not venturing out to theatres.

Also read: From Sudeep to Ganesh, Puneeth Rajkumar and Yash: 7 classic Yogaraj Bhat films to watch on OTT 

Yogaraj Bhat: Releasing 15 films week-on-week will scare audiences away

What does he think of the situation? “Cinema is for audiences, but if we keep releasing 15 films week-on-week and expect them to watch all, they will get scared and stay away. Each person gets a gazillion notifications about these films, with claims that one is better than the other and so on and so forth. There is nothing really that stays with them; so, they reject everything coming their way,” reasons the filmmaker.

Yogaraj feels that if a film has been made for the theatrical experience, audiences will watch it on the big screen. “It’s like inviting someone to a wedding; if you personally extend an invitation, they will turn up, says the filmmaker, adding that the practice of paid publicity, like buying views for song and trailer releases to claim viral status, etc., has to stop. Yogaraj says that if the connect with audiences is not organic, it will not translate into footfalls.

The problem with multiple releases in a week is that people do not set aside that much money to be able to watch, and by the time positive word-of-mouth publicity spreads about a few, they may not be in theatres anymore. He reckons that the film industry ought to practice order and release films in a phased manner.

Yogaraj’s next, meanwhile, is Manada Kadalu, which hits theatres on March 28. A romantic drama featuring Sumukha, Rashika Shetty, Anjali Anish, in the lead, the film’s big calling card is that it reunites Yogaraj with E Krishnappa, who produced the director’s biggest hit to date, Mungaru Male, starring Golden Star Ganesh .

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