After seventy eight glorious years, Kannada cinema, which has released approximately 3200 films, still enthralls fans because of some old actors and films. Though at present, about 100 to 120 films are being released each year, only a few stars have become the collector’s choice. Some evergreen Kannada films which have captured the hearts of millions are movies directed by Puttanna Kanagal, as well as films of popular actors like Dr Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan.
V Lakshmikanth, proprietor of TotalKannadadotCom says, “Out of 3200 films, we have DVDs of 2500 films, out of which, the most in demand even today are the old popular movies. For ardent students of theatre and cinema, these movies are considered as an encyclopedia. Even students who get trained at the academic level on movies are instructed to watch old movies to get themselves better educated.”
Though there is a generation gap, old films have always remained an eternal flavour, says Shivakumar, General Manager of Sri Ganesh Video who has been in the business for the past 20 years. “We are into wholesale and retail business of DVDs. With thousands of films released, it is the award winning and art films, which always sell like hot cakes till date. Movies of yesteryear actors like Dr Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan are always in demand while all films of director Puttanna is a must in the DVD market,” he says.
According to the market sources, out of the 200 films of Dr Rajkumar, 125 films are regularly sold. “We order for at least 200 DVDs each of old films. For new films, we usually buy around 50 copies.
Even then by end of the month, we have a shortage of old film DVDs, which is not the case with the current movies,” says Lakhsmikanth, who adds that art and award winning films are quite popular abroad too. “Our online request are mostly for films made by GV Iyer, Girish Kasaravalli, and Puttanna Kanagal. In case of Dr Rajkumar films, since he is a versatile actor, a couple of them request for his bond films while some demand historical films and commercial hit flicks,” he says.Mahendra, Proprietor of Sri Nakoda Enterprises says, “We are in the DVD business for the past 10 years. Though the current DVD market is down, there is no dearth of demand for old movies. Like they say, ‘Old is gold’, a few films are considered a must-haves in a movie lover's collection. Though the market is filled with pirated CDs and DVDs, original DVDs of old films are always in demand. Pure entertainment with a good message is what people look for.”