Two days before its high-profile release, the pan-Indian film RRR has upset a section of Kannadigas. Active supporters of dubbing complained that the Kannada version of the SS Rajamouli-directorial hasn't got a good share of screens in the state.
Twitter was abuzz on Wednesday with #BoycottRRRinKarnataka, so much so that it forced the distributors to respond to the controversy on social media. "The convincing act with reluctant theatre owners to play the Kannada version is in full swing. We will do everything in our control to bring the Kannada version to as many screens as possible," said a statement from KVN Productions, the film's distributor in Karnataka.
The Telugu version has expectedly witnessed great demand. "The tickets for the Telugu version are getting sold in minutes. In contrast, there has been a tepid response to the Kannada version so far. We will face a major financial issue if the Kannada version is shown in more screens," a representative from KVN Productions told DH.
"We had earlier planned to release the Kannada version in 250 screens. Considering the situation, we have now brought down the number to 150," he added.
RRR, starring NTR Jr and Ram Charan, is Rajamouli's first film after his supremely successful 'Baahubali' films. The action drama will release in 400 screens in Karnataka and there would be over 2,500 shows on an opening day. Interestingly, Ram Charan and NTR Jr have given their voices for the Kannada version.
A similar controversy raged when Allu Arjun's blockbuster Pushpa had just one Kannada-dubbed show in Bengaluru and eight overall in Karnataka.
Industry insiders say establishing a strong market for dubbed content is an uphill task in a cosmopolitan city like Bengaluru as people in the city prefer to consume content in the original language. Some say business dynamics force distributors to turn their back on Kannada versions.
'James' to be affected?
Chethan Kumar, the director of the late Puneeth Rajkumar's final commercial film James, had requested the exhibitors to support his film against the impending RRR storm. Leading theatre owners say the drop in the number of screens for James is inevitable.
After a humongous opening week, that saw the film cross the 100-crore mark in four days, the craze for James has dipped slightly, say exhibitors. So naturally, several single screens in Karnataka will reduce the number of shows to accommodate the more in-demand films like RRR and The Kashmir Files, they informed DH.
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