Exclusive | Karthik Gowda on the exciting TVF collab, KRG Studios' future and more

Quite evidently, KRG Studios is chasing after a new template for Kannada cinema. Although the production house, led by Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj, is only two films old at the moment, the lineup of upcoming releases suggests that the think-tank behind wants to put its faith in young and enterprising talent. One also gathers that KRG Studios wants to tell more rooted stories that stem from a specific place and time and are not necessarily heavy on the pocket either. 

That said, the inclusion of a project like Uttarakaanda, a two-part gangster film set entirely in Northern Karnataka, in the mix would mean that nothing is off the radar, as long as something is compelling and also commercially viable. The road ahead, though, like everything else, is bound to have its share of trials and errors, but Karthik Gowda admits that a cultural shift today in the Kannada Film Industry is paramount. 

One such step towards this shift, so to speak, could be KRG Studios' latest collaboration with The Viral Fever, the popular entertainment platform that began on a modest note but grew in stature over the years through engaging content. The Viral Fever, or TVF, is a major entity completely on its merit today and its coming together with KRG certainly evokes curiosity and also excitement among Kannada cinema patrons.

OTTplay caught up with Karthik Gowda for a candid chat about this promising collaboration to discuss what's in store, the road ahead and so much more. Here are the edited excerpts:

Tell me a little about how TVF came on board. And also why TVF?

Vijay Subramaniam, who is very much an integral member of KRG Studios, has previously served as the CEO of Amazon Prime Video and has worked on numerous occasions with TVF. You'd see quite a few of TVF's titles, such as Panchayath, have landed on Prime. And TVF president Vijay Koshy, too, is a close friend of ours. I think it was sometime in March 2023, that our first meeting took place but there was agenda to it. We met Arunabh (Kumar) & his team and jammed a little about what we could do. KRG had scripts ready and TVF, too, wanted to explore South India so it all came together that way. It also helps that they are known for their content, their stories and aren't "flashy" in the way they operate.

But the main reason WHY we decided to work with them is that our respective 'mottos' are the same - to deliver content to the young crowd and that, too, with theatrical releases in mind. One might have felt that the presence of TVF would mean direct OTT releases but that's not the case. 

Will this collaboration be producing films across South Indian languages? Or only Kannada?

No, we have a multi-film deal in place and we will be making films in all South Indian languages. To start off, we have finalized a couple of Kannada films, one of which will be going on floors very soon. 

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And what will be the nature of this collaboration of TVF?

In essence, it's a co-production-like scenario where we procure or rather fresh content for the South Indian market. Either of us could pitch ideas and both of us have equal liberty to turn them down. The first project that I just mentioned was pitched by us and fortunately, TVF liked it. The second one is already being discussed. Since KRG has a footing in South India, mainly as a distributor, we could function more effectively. 

I'm guessing this also allows KRG Studios the opportunity to expand?

Yes, of course. See, as distributors, KRG is soon hitting the 100th film mark which means that a process, so to speak, to how we function is well in place. But we are also keen on doing something new as producers and inadvertently, you do come across a lot of new stories. And these kinds of content-oriented films are working everywhere now. I don't mean to say that films mounted on a big scale don't work but everyone appreciates good content. It cannot be just visuals. So, for us, it was about using all the force we had behind to bring those good stories to life. It so happened that everything fell into place almost at the same time - we had a bunch of films in various stages of development but it all came together pretty quickly. 

For KRG Studios, as producers, the journey so far has been interesting with two films - Ratnan Prapancha and Gurudev Hoysala. Would you say this collab is the beginning of a new phase?

Oh, 100%. Ratnan Prapancha was a big success even though it released straight on OTT. Gurudev Hoysala, on the other hand, wasn't necessarily a failure but commercially, it did not meet the expectations. There were things that did not work but there are also quite a few learnings from it. You have to take them all in your stride.

What are these learnings that you speak of?

I suppose no film is perfect but every film lends you something new to learn. Every film you make is a combination of individual efforts and so many aspects go into it. In the case of Gurudev Hoysala, I don't want to go into specifics but it is true that the film did not pan out the way we would have liked it. And yet, nobody came on board to make a bad film - it could be that what was written on paper, did not get translated onto the screen. 

The script, and its essence, were great because you have seen a lot of films about social or caste-based hierarchy but the protagonist or the hero often has a personal angle in those stories. Here (in Gurudev Hoysala), that's not the case because the hero is an outsider who is solving the case only because he is empathetic. There were other undercurrents in the script that did not get translated but we had reached very close to the release date. Fortunately, money-wise, there were no troubles even though the theatrical performance wasn't very good. I don't want to blame any external factors but ourselves for the way things transpired. 

Would you say the Gurudev Hoysala experience was a good wake-up call?

I wouldn't term it a wakeup call but the experience told us that we must give a lot more importance to the pre-production process. In Gurudev Hoysala's case, we did not spend as much time on pre-prod or not as efficiently as we did in all the Hombale Films projects so far and also Ratnan Prapancha. I think we were found lacking in that aspect here. We did try to salvage along the way but the film did not turn out, as I said, the way we wanted it to.