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Non-Kannada film releases in Karnataka to be withheld till 18 August
BANGALORE: The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA) has requested all non-Kannada film distributors to refrain from releasing non-Kannada films starting 13 August.
As per industry sources, all new releases would be withheld till 18 August.
The agitating film producers and directors had been demanding an increase in the present entertainment tax levied on non-Kannada films. The Kannada film fraternity has also been demanding assurance that all Kannada films be shown in all theaters in Karnataka for at least 12 weeks a year, abolition of show tax and turnover tax on exhibition of Kannada films and a single-window-system for permission for filming.
The KFPA and the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) have set up a ten member-committee headed by producer B M Harish to monitor the screening of non-Kannada films in the State. The committee will ensure that: (1) Non-Kannada films are screened in the State only after they are exhibited for at least 12 weeks in their respective states (2) All Kannada films are compulsorily screened for 12 weeks (3) Similar committees are formed throughout the State.
Distributors of non-Kannada films have officially announced that they will comply with the KFPA decision. Theater owners screening non-Kannada films anticipate violence in theaters, as per media reports.
With the KFPA’s decision to block all non-Kannada films coming into effect on 13 August, the release of films like Vasool Raja MBBS (Tamil), Andaroo Dongale Dorikithe (Telugu) and the Kyon Ho Gaya Na (Hindi) in the State will be affected.
It may be recalled that during a meeting after Monday’s rally called by KFPA and KFDA, deputy CM Siddaramaiah had agreed to constitute a panel to look into the problems of the Kannada film industry. The committee to be headed by chief secretary KP Pandey comprises veteran film producer Parvathamma Raj Kumar, actor-producer-director Ravichandran, KFDA president SV Rajendra Singh Babu and film director Joe Simon.
The producers and directors expect preferential treatment from the theater owners and exhibitors. Kannada films are generally small budget films and hence can’t compete with Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. In 1996, the State government had forced a trade agreement between theater owners and producers to screen non-Kannada films only after seven weeks of release elsewhere. The agreement had to be abandoned, because, exhibitors and theater owners threatened to approach the court.
Some of the film personalities who chose to boycott the rally term the demands by the producers and directors as illogical asking how long the Kannada industry expected protection from the government. According to them, the industry must bring out quality films and not the mediocre films, which are the order of the day today.
Meanwhile, KFPA has postponed its meeting to initiate action against personalities who’d not participated in the rally to 16 August due to lack of adequate turnout, says reports.
“Banagalore is a cosmopolitan city. There are people from all over the country here. Not all are interested in Kannada movies; many want to watch Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English films. Even if I want to watch a Kannada movie, I don’t, because they lack quality and are poorly made,” says youngster Raja Gowda, a Kannadiga movie buff as he came out of a theatre watching the evening show of the last week release Mujhse Shaadi Karoge.
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CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
