Four new Kannada film releases in theatres this week; account only for a handful of shows amid biggies like Acharya

Most smaller filmmakers would think it’s a folly to attempt to compete with a big-ticket release at the box office. And yet, not one but four Kannada films – Shokiwala, Kshamisi Nimma Khatheyalli Hanavilla, Melobba Mayavi and Raaji – are set for theatrical release tomorrow, April 29. Tomorrow is also the day when one of the most anticipated Telugu films, megastar Chiranjeevi’s movie with his son Ram Charan, Acharya, releases. Acharya comes a mere two weeks after Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2, which is still going very strong at the box office. Also taking up a chunk of the available screens are Ajay Devgn’s Runway 34 and Tiger Shroff’s Heropanti 2, both of which release tomorrow.

Where does that leave the four Kannada films that are releasing this week? Honestly, nowhere. In Bengaluru, the Krishna Ajai Rao starrer Shokiwala, for instance, has got less than 40 shows as per BookMyShow, mostly at multiplexes spread across the city. Diganth’s Kshamisi Nimma Khatheyalli Hanavilla, which also stars Ranjani Raghavan and Aindrita Ray, has 18 shows at last count. The late Sanchari Vijay’s Melobba Mayavi has all of one show as of now, while Raghavendra Rajkumar’s Raaji fares a rad better with 5 shows.

According to an industry insider, KGF2, Acharya, Runway 34 and Heropanti 2 each have well over 100+ shows in Bengaluru. “The Malayalam film Jana Gana Mana, as well as the Tamil films Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kadhal and Hostel are also in the mix, as are older films like RRR and Jersey. There are barely any screens for Kannada films, but filmmakers are going ahead with release plans to get their movies out before the onset of monsoon. The May 6 weekend has as many as five Kannada releases lined up as of now, including Sharan’s Avatara Purusha. The big release that week is Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, which will hit theatres dubbed in Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil as well,” says the source.