Barrage of Kannada films to hit screens this month

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: Unhappy with no new releases of Kannada film this week? Never mind, wait till mid-September. The Kannada film industry will unleash a barrage, featuring tinsel town''s top guns like Sahasasimha Vishnuvardhan, Upendra and Shivrajkumar. <br /><br />Nearly 30 Kannada films are presently under production.With a seven-week moratorium on the release of non-Kannada films in place, the Kannada film industry is all geared up to capitalise on the situation. <br /><br />During mid-September, Upendra''s eagerly awaited <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Omkara</span> is set to hit the screens. Not just this, a host of Upendra''s other films, like <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Uppidada</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">MBBS</span> (remake version of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Munnabhai</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">MBBS</span>) and News are hitting the screens. It probably the first time that so many films of Upendra are slated for release in quick succession. <br /><br />Then, there is Vishnuvardhan''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Sahukara</span>. Directed by one of more successful directors, Om Saiprakash, the film also features <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">''Crazy</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Star''</span> Ravichandran and southern siren Rambha. This will be Vishnu''s second movie in the recent months after <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Apta</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mitra</span>. <br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">Films featuring ''Hat-trick Hero'' Shivrajkumar too are keeping their date with scheduled release. <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kanchanaganga</span>, Rishi (Shivrajkumar with Vijay Raghavendra), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Valmiki</span> (paired opposite Bollywood actress Hrishita) and Jogi (directed by <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Prem</span> of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Excuse</span> <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Me</span> fame) are all at various stages of production. <br /><br />Among the young brigade, Sudeep will test his luck with Maharaja and Nalla. Similarly, Darshan''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Ayya</span> and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Sardara</span> will evaluate his star value. <br /><br />However, the excitement of the year is Encounter <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Dayanayak</span>, a film based on the life of Mumbai ''encounter specialist'' Daya Nayak. A new face — Sachin — is being introduced in this, which also features Bollywood import Mahesh Manjrekar for the first time in any Kannada film. <br /><br />The decade-old Tamil blockbuster <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Agninakshatram</span> (featuring Shivaji Prabhu, Kartik, Amala and Nirosha) will appear in the Kannada avatar — <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Agninakshatra</span> (with a totally new cast). <br /><br />The other films in the making are: Surya, the Great; Miss California (directed by Kodlu Ramakrishna); Chappale (Richa Pallad); Santosha; Snehanjali; Aham Premasmi; Udees; Tali Kattuva Shubha Vele; Srishti; Sirichandana; O Gulabi; Raakshasa; Rakta Sambhanda and Jennifer. </div> </div>