MANGALORE: A huge flex on the wall of Jyothi theatre has a beaming Vijay Kumar Kodialbail with the bat raised and declaring “100 not out”.
Wearing a logo of ‘Tulunadu’ on Team India shirt, Kodialbail looks every bit a cricketer who has not let his bat but his blockbuster film Oriyadori Asal (one smarter than the other) do the talking.
On Saturday the film still attracting advanced bookings crossed 107 days in Jyothi and Adlabs Multiplex, which is the best run for any Tulu movie.
The previous films which ran for more than 100 days include Bangar Patler (105 days) and Koti Chennaiah (100 days) - incidentally all screened at Jyothi theatre.
An authority on the 40 year-old Tulu film industry and art director Lakshman says the film’s success is spectacular.
107 days in regular shows in both Jyothi theatre and Adlabs multiplex is nothing short of a feat, he informs.
Other records include the film running for more than 77 days in maximum number of theatres (Udupi, Padubidri and Moodbidri).
“The film being screened in B C Road will not only complete 50 days tomorrow but will also cross 100 days,” Kodialbail informs confidently.
Barring a new drama ‘Ajjer’, Kodialbail has resisted the temptation of taking up new projects in order to focus on the nitty, gritty of arranging screenings for his film in unfamiliar territories like Dubai and other Gulf countries.
Kodialbail almost had planned to incorporate another ‘dream song’ shot in the exotic locales of Dubai to keep crowds flocking to theatres.
But he decided against it when fans confessed to him on watching the film more than nine times.
“Perhaps I will use the track for my next picture,” he adds.
While listing out the obstacles his Tulu film faced, Kodialbail intends to publish a book on the untold truth about film industry in general.
He candidly acknowledges that there can be a film in future better than Asal.
“But nobody can come nearer to the post production work that had gone into marketing the film.” Lakshman too agrees and points out that the 40th Tulu film will forever remain as an example highlighting the importance of technology and post-production efforts in order to reach to the masses