No deals for pre-release non-theatrical business hampering release plans of big Kannada films?

No deals for pre-release non-theatrical business hampering release plans of big Kannada films?

Bad Manners and Baanadaariyalli are ready and have not announced release dates yet

Earlier this week, a Kannada film trade tracking social media handle tweeted that the release of Junior Rebel Star Abishek Ambareesh’s Bad Manners was delayed because the team has not been able to strike the right deals for non-theatrical rights, specifically digital rights. The film, directed by Duniya Soori, was initially believed to be a June-end release, considering that the team had begun the songs as promotional material. But then, there was no news on a possible release date and instead, Abishek chose to get married around the time. Since, then, there’s been radio silence about when Bad Manners is to be expected in theatres.

Not long ago, actress-turned-producer Ramya had put the spotlight on the issue of Kannada films not being picked up by major streaming platforms. Direct-to-OTT release of Kannada films are as good as completely ruled out, what with Netflix’s doors shut to Kannada content, while Amazon Prime Video has an unwritten rule stipulating a mandatory theatrical release, after which it is decided whether to pick up a title or not. Even the bundle deals with networks that have both a TV and OTT presence, like Sun Network, Zee5, and earlier Colors (now Jio), have dwindled down.

Considering the good will the industry garnered in 2022, one would expect that it has a trickling down effect on the prospects of other films from Sandalwood. But a quick look at the list of films released in 2022 points to the contrary. Roughly 50% of the Kannada movies that came to theatres in 2022 are yet to have a digital outing. And the films from the first half of 2023 have also not fared much better. In the last quarter of the financial year that’s just gone by, there was a buzz that Zee5 and Voot Select had exhausted their budgets and were, hence, not investing in new titles. But three months on, these platforms are yet to announce newer acquisitions.

Read: Ramya: Mainstream OTT platforms are not buying Kannada films

Why are platforms so disinterested in Kannada content? A filmmaker, who has been trying to strike a deal for his film for the last several months, tells us on condition of anonymity that platforms – both digital and satellite - have been citing a lack of return on investment for the slow-down in taking Kannada films. “It has gotten a lot worse after Kabzaa, to be honest. The word from the major platforms is that they’ve burnt their fingers with the investments on Kannada films. They are not willing to buy rights prior to a theatrical release. No matter how small the release is, that is a mandate. Even then, there is no guarantee of being picked up,” he says.

Read: Filmmakers weigh in on the ‘OTT platforms don’t buy Kannada films’ debate sparked by Ramya

National Award-winning filmmaker Mansore’s 19.20.21 found no takers, even though his earlier work, Nathicharami is on Netflix. Mansore had taken to social media elaborating how he was not even able to elicit a response from the leading platforms. But why are Kannada filmmakers hung up about only being in business with, say, Amazon Prime Video. “It’s the sheer reach that the platform has – no other streamer can claim those kinds of numbers. For instance, Hondisi Bareyiri is one of the better performing titles on the platform, which goes to show that there is a viewership for Kannada content. This current impasse will change only if a couple of good films from Kannada reignite the faith in streamers. The buzz in industry circles is that besides Bad Manners, films like Baanadaariyalli and Martin have also allegedly been unable to crack non-theatrical deals yet, which account for a major chunk of the pre-release business. Baanadaariyalli was announced multiple times, then pushed ahead and now, there is no word on it,” claims a source.

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