Director Vijayaprasad takes onus for the failure of his film, Petromax

The film had Sathish Ninasam and Hariprriya in the lead, along with Nagabhushana, Karunya Ram, Vijayalakshmi Singh, Suman Ranganath, among others.

A still from Petromax

Since he made the adult comedy Neer Dose, Kannada director Vijayaprasad is widely known for his brand of cinema that is liberal with double entendre. His latest, Petromax was no different. In fact, when the filmmaker released the trailer of the film, it had audiences divided, with many not taking kindly to the content. Vijayaprasad’s contention was that despite the adult comedy, his films also have vital social awareness messages. While Neer Dose worked with a section of audiences, the filmmaker was counting on that working again, but this time, there were no takers for his film.

Petromax released as one of four Kannada films on July 15. While the film attracted audiences initially, once the word spread that the film balances comedy and philosophy equally, its fate at the box office was sealed. Audiences who were expecting a start-to-finish laugh riot based on the trailer content were disappointed with the emotional part of the film, which raised questions about who is really an orphan – one with no parents, or one with family but who is still alone. The narrative also followed a different style with the actors almost interacting with audiences.

Following the film’s poor showing at the box office, Vijayaprasad took to social media with a note taking full responsibility for the same. The filmmaker said that it was not the fault of cinema goers or his cast and crew, but entirely his doing that the film did not reach the target audience as desired. He also apologized to audiences for the same.

Up next, the filmmaker has the release of his second film with Navarasa Nayaka Jaggesh, Thotapuri, which also has ample doses of adult comedy along with a social message. The film is being released in two parts, with the first coming out on September 30 for Dasara.

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