For a long time, Kannada filmmakers have been voicing a common concern – people just aren’t showing up to the theaters. Back in the day, the main reason given was that moviegoers were fed up with the same old predictable films and were craving something fresh. After the pandemic, a lot of the Kannada film scene leaned into experimental cinema, but the few films that really resonated with audiences were either big-budget blockbusters, star-studded spectacles, or just something that caught them off guard in a good way.

The first hit of 2024 dropped in August, but only a few followed it. The start of 2025 has been pretty bleak, with nearly 60 films released and just one, Choo Mantar, managing to attract enough viewers to break even. Filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat, whose last two projects, Garadi and Karataka Damanaka, didn’t do well, is gearing up to release his next film, Manada Kadalu, during this tough time when Kannada audiences are staying away from theaters.

Yogaraj Bhat: Dropping 15 films every week is going to drive audiences away

What’s his take on the whole situation? “Movies are meant for the audience, but if we keep dropping 15 films every week and expect everyone to catch them all, they’ll just get overwhelmed and back off. People are bombarded with notifications about these films, each claiming to be better than the last. Nothing really sticks with them, so they end up ignoring everything,” the filmmaker explains.

Yogaraj believes that if a film is designed for the big screen, people will show up to watch it there. “It’s like inviting someone to a wedding; if you personally invite them, they’re more likely to come,” he says. He also points out that the trend of paying for publicity, like buying views for songs and trailers to make them seem viral, needs to end. Yogaraj insists that if the connection with the audience isn’t genuine, it won’t lead to ticket sales.

The issue with so many releases in a week is that people don’t budget enough to see them all, and by the time good word-of-mouth starts spreading about a few films, they might already be gone from theaters. He thinks the film industry should adopt a more organized approach and stagger their releases.

Yogaraj's upcoming film is Manada Kadalu, set to hit theaters on March 28. This romantic drama stars Sumukha, Rashika Shetty, and Anjali Anish in leading roles. One of the film's major highlights is the collaboration between Yogaraj and producer E Krishnappa, who was behind Yogaraj's biggest success so far, Mungaru Male, featuring Golden Star Ganesh.

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