Despite KGF success, global market eludes Sandalwood

BENGALURU: Every other Kannada film releasing these days carries the tag, ‘releasing worldwide’. The KGF franchise has not only given a fillip to ‘pan-India films’ but has also made Sandalwood take the overseas market seriously.
With simplification of the process and established distributors in place, it is all about going the extra mile. Three upcoming films are releasing in at least 30 countries across the globe.Those already in the water say the Kannada film industry should be prepared for the long haul.

Karthik Gowda, creative producer of Hombale Film which made the KGF series, and distributed the subsequent Kannada biggie 777 Charlie, said: “More than making money, the intention should be to expand the industry. Do not expect anyone to pay you money upfront for releasing Kannada films overseas. It can happen a few years down the line. Till then, we have to keep supplying them with good movies.”
He says 777 Charlie got decent advances and did good business. But he doesn’t expect upfront payment for the next film under Hombale Films banner releasing soon.
‘Atlanta’ Nagendra, a producer and distributor based in the US, points to the lacklustre response to Avatara Purusha and Gaalipata 2.
“It is very easy to release films overseas now compared to before 2015. There are also several distributors today. Even Telugu and Tamil distributors are willing to distribute Kannada films with the right hype. But expanding the market is not easy. Except big films like KGF, Vikrant Rona and 777 Charlie, no other Kannada film made money overseas this year,” he said.
Darshan Somashekar and his techie brother Deepak Somashekar, along with Kannada techies like Sukesh Dwarakish, started Gulf Kannada Movies 10 years ago. Starting with Kalpana in 2012, they distributed 47 Kannada movies in UAE. “But we never made money on any of them. Our only intention was to release Kannada movies abroad. Every Kannada star has supported us,” Darshan said.
Producer Yogish Dwarakish, who distributed Vikrant Rona overseas, said KGF2 has created awareness about Kannada films. Pointing out that only the Indian diaspora watches Indian films overseas and not others, he said: “The Kannada diaspora is tiny compared to others. Around 5 lakh people watched KGF2 in the Gulf; only 25,000 saw the Kannada version. 777Charlie had over 10,000 viewers and Vikrant Rona 9,000.”
The footfall for the Kannada version of KGF2 in the US was around 45,000. The Telugu version was watched by 3 lakh people and Tamil by about 2 lakh, Nagendra said. “In Malaysia, there was only one screen for (KGF2) Kannada. The rest was in Tamil and that version did a business of Rs 17 crore,” Karthik Gowda said.
Planning is key
There is still hope for Kannada filmmakers trying to tap overseas markets. “Planning well in advance is the key. In the US, you have to book screens four-five weeks in advance. In places like the Gulf, you have a censor process which takes time. You need a marketing script and people in your team who will exclusively work on releases abroad,” Karthik Gowda said.
“On the international stage, we are in the infancy. It is better we come out of the KGF hangover at the earliest. Language is no longer a hurdle. Make good films, market them well and ensure you release at least 15 movies in the US and other overseas markets in a year, and not just films of big stars,” Dwarkish said.