With only a handful of movies providing relief to the Kannada film industry's prospects, Sandalwood is trying hard to forget 2021 as a silent limbo of the past. While Roberrt, Pogaru, Yuvarathnaa, Kotigobba 3, Salaga, Bhajarangi 2, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, and Badava Rascal did find audiences rallying behind it, the truth is that Sandalwood had it tough this year. With the country staring at a possible third wave of the pandemic, the not-so-perfect 2021 will surely be carried over into 2022 too.
A few star-studded films that slipped over from 2021 will be making it to the screens in 2022. With other language films are set to occupy the theatres in the first couple of weeks of January, Prem's Ek Love Ya, which is set for a January 21 release might kickstart things for Sandalwood. The Love Mocktail sequel and Srinivas' Old Monk are aiming at a February 11 release.
The first big-ticket release will be the Sudeep-starrer Vikrant Rona. There is a huge hype around this Anup Bhandari directorial, which will hit theatres on February 24, and is set to be dubbed and released in seven languages.
Even though the release date of Yash's KGF Chapter 2 has been pushed a couple of times owing to the pandemic, it remains as one of the most-awaited films of the year. The sequel to KGF Chapter 1, this pan-Indian film directed by Prashanth Neel, also starring Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon, is getting ready to hit theatres on April 14.
Gandhada Gudi, which is a dream project envisioned by the late Puneeth Rajkumar with wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Amoghavarsha JS will also be a 2022 release. With the makers exploring a new genre with this film, millions of fans are also hyped about the project because it will mark one of Appu’s last films.
We will also have Chethan Kumar's James, which features Puneeth in an action commercial entertainer. The film is in the post-production stage, and might release on March 17, which is also Puneeth's birth anniversary. There is also Suni-Sharan's Avatara Purusha, which will hit the theatres in early 2022.
If all had gone well, Rakshit Shetty's upcoming film, 777 Charlie, directed by Kiranraj, would have been released on December 31. But the makers decided to postpone the release and are yet to announce a new date. Rakshit Shetty also has Hemanth M Rao's next, Sapta Sagaradache Yello, which will also be released in 2022.
Darshan, who delivered one of the biggest successes of 2021 with Roberrt, will next be part of V Harikrishna's Kranti. The pan-Indian project backed by producers Shylaja Nag and B Suresha is currently on floors.
Shivarajkumar's presence in 2022 will be made through Vedha, which marks his maiden production venture under his home banner, Geetha Pictures. The film will bring together Shivanna and Harsha for the 4th time.
There is R Chandru's directorial Kabzaa. The film starring Upendra in the lead, and Sudeep in a pivotal role, this will be yet another film, which will see a multilingual release.
Considering Dhananjay's first production venture, Badava Rascal, is doing well at the box office, expectations are high for his next production, Head Bush. The filming of Dhruva Sarja and AP Arjun's Martin is halfway done.
Martin marks the return of the actor-director duo after Addhuri (2012), which marked Dhruva's acting debut. Dhruva Sarja is also set to collaborate with director Prem, and this KVN Productions film is also one of the hyped projects of 2022.
We will also see the Yogaraj Bhat-Ganesh film, Gaalipata 2, hitting the screens in 2022. The romantic drama also stars Diganth, Pawan Kumar, Anant Nag, Sharmiela Mandre, and Vaibhavi Shandilya, and is now in the post-production stages.
A couple of other films that have created hype are Santhosh Ananddram-Jaggesh's Raghavendra Stores, and Rishab Shetty's next directorial, Kantara. There is also Sriimurali's Bagheera, which has a script written by Prashanth Neel and will be directed by Dr Suri. All three films will be bankrolled by Hombale Films.
Newcomers who will be making their mark will be Dheeren Ramkumar, who is starring in Shiva 143, and Zaid Khan, who is making his debut with Banaras. Yuvarajkumar's Yuva Ranadheera Kanteerava will go on floors in 2022.