Dollu trailer: When old-school and new-age ideologies clash over whether to ‘sell’ an artform to make a living

The National Award-winning film by Sagar Puranik explores a fading art form. It releases in theatres on August 26

A still from the Kannada film Dollu

Kannada filmmaker Pawan Wadeyar’s debut production venture is Dollu, which was, most recently, adjudged Best Regional film (Kannada) at the National Film Awards. The directorial debut of Sagar Puranik, whose earlier short film Mahaan Hutatma had also won a National award, Dollu, as the name suggests, is about the dying art form of Dollu Kunitha. The film is set for a theatrical outing on August 26, in the run-up to which they released its trailer today.

In a fictionalised setting, Sagar explores a clash of ideologies between old-school and new-age exponents of the art form. For the veterans, Dollu Kunitha is an art that is to be performed in the service of god and not for monetary gain. Noble as this thought is, it is not one that can provide artistes a decent living. When they then give up performing Dollu Kunitha in search of a better life in the city, an annual ritual at a temple in their hometown risks being discontinued. Should the protagonist leave behind his better paying job and cushy lifestyle and return to keep the art alive? That’s the question that Dollu raises.

Sagar says, “Dollu Kunitha is an art that is visually vibrant and the sound hits your ear drums really hard. To dance with tiger-like costumes, anklets, head gear and the heavy drums around their waist in a synchronized manner is quite awesome. When I decided to make a feature film, I knew it had to have a subject that comes from the heart. That’s when I thought that I should do a film about Dollu Kunitha.”

The film has a mix of real Dollu Kunitha performers and actors and features extensive scenes of performances. After the national award announcement, Pawan had told us that irrespective of its fate at the box office, he would give Dollu a fair chance at the box office. In Sandalwood, as of now, its only competition is the Dheeren Ramkumar launchpad Shiva 143, but there’s also Vijay Deverakonda’s much-anticipated Liger, which is releasing a day ahead on August 25.

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