BENGALURU: If all goes well, filmmakers from other states will be able to release dubbed versions of their films in Karnataka soon. Filmmakers have long been fighting for dubbing of non-Kannada films. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) held a preliminary round of discussion to take a call. Ba Ma Harish, secretary of KFCC, said, “No decision has been taken. Many members feel we shouldn’t go against the Competition Commission of India rule book.”
Members at the chamber against the idea also participated in the discussion. “We have welcomed films of other languages, but we now feel that it’s better to watch a film in our own language. We hope to encourage Kannada language in Karnataka,” he said.
Citing examples of Ajith Kumar’s films such as Yennai Arindhaal, Arambam and Vivegam, which were dubbed in Kannada – as Satyadev, Dheera and Commonda – years after the original version’s release, Harish said, “Why not release the dubbed Kannada version simultaneously? Instead of having the audience watch films in Tamil,Telugu and Malayalam, we can let them watch films in the local language,” he said.