Kannada cinema’s content crisis

A stellar performance by actor-director Rishab Shetty combined with the technical mastery of the crew produces a stunning climax in Kantara. But, an earlier simple conversation in the much-celebrated ecological drama is as powerful as its many visually appealing sequences.

A stellar performance by actor-director Rishab Shetty combined with the technical mastery of the crew produces a stunning climax in Kantara. But, an earlier simple conversation in the much-celebrated ecological drama is as powerful as its many visually appealing sequences.

In the film’s last act, the protagonist Shiva, a carefree and feisty young tribal man, enters the house of a feudal landlord (Achyuth Kumar) with confidence. You hear a piercing screech as Shiva, belonging to a ‘lower’ caste, drags a chair to sit across the dining table from the treacherous zamindar. The landlord’s annoyance is apparent when he sees Shiva serving himself food as an equal. “You have entered our house. Then, why can’t we?” Shiva questions the landlord, who is scheming to grab the land from the natives.

This scene is a fine example of the ‘plant and payoff’ technique in screenwriting. Anirudh Mahesh, one of the writers of Kantara, explains the idea.

“In an earlier scene, the landlord slaps a tribal trying to enter his house. Naturally, his oppressive mindset is shocked to see Shiva being on a par with him later,” he says. “If you want to stand up to someone, you need not get physical. A small gesture can convey your intention. That’s the power of writing in cinema. We can subtly convey a strong point,” he adds.

Kantara is filled with such clever writing, just like other blockbusters of 2022 from the Kannada film industry, such as KGF: Chapter 2 and 777 Charlie. The industry has always blown hot and cold with its form. After a terrific 2022, it’s facing a content crisis with only a few quality films to boast of in 2023 so far.

Lack of quality writing — even in much-hyped latest films like Kranti and Kabzaa — is one of the biggest reasons behind the poor show of recent mainstream Kannada films. “I feel popular Kannada films work on moments and not as a whole,” says screenwriting teacher and author Samvartha Sahil. “They start with one point and end with something else. There is no coherence. You feel a sense of dailiness that you can relate to in stories of Malayalam films. Kannada films lack in that aspect,” he points out.

While teaching screenwriting to students of the Film and Television Institute of India, Samvartha follows a method. “I make the students write a reverse screenplay. I make them watch a film, and then ask them to break down each scene, from start to finish,” says the writer from Manipal, who grew up admiring the films of Shankar Nag.