With theatres unlikely to open anytime soon thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, most film buffs are stuck at home, entertaining themselves with content on OTT platforms. Why not take the opportunity to explore Kannada films online too?
There's a wide variety of new era, well-directed Kannada films which have good storylines and are streaming online. These films will appeal to people across states and deserve a much wider audience.
Here are some of our favourite new generation Kannada films that we recommend you watch:
1. Humble Politician Nograj (Amazon Prime Video): Danish Sait is on everyone’s screen these days, with a fresh new take on current affairs in short one minute clips. While we wait for his latest film French Biryani to come out on Amazon Prime Video, you can watch Danish entertaining the viewers by taking digs at politicians in Karnataka in Humble Politician Nograj. Danish, in this film, manages to critique and entertain at the same time. The film is directed by Saad Khan.
2. Nathicharami (Netflix): Despite the traditional title, this Sruthi Hariharan film transcends itself and speaks about an old problem in a modern setting. How do widows manage their sexual needs without a partner? The film eases into issues that are hardly touched upon in Kannada cinema: what women want, widowhood, therapy, and extramarital relationships. The film has also won several awards at the national level. The film was directed by Mansore.
3. Thithi (Netflix): The film is a slice of life story set in a village, and narrates the drama surrounding post funeral rites, the struggle of jumping hoops for land papers, and the love story of a young couple. This award winning debut film by Raam Reddy stars Thammegowda and Channegowda, neither of whom are professional actors. It was met with rave reviews and audiences loved the film too. A must watch.
4. U Turn (Netflix): This popular thriller brought to attention a much neglected hotspot for accidents in the middle of Bengaluru, on top of a flyover. The film, directed by Pawan Kumar and starring Shraddha Srinath in the lead, has a supernatural twist to a civic problem. If you find yourself missing Bengaluru traffic, then you must watch this film.
5. Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (Disney+Hotstar): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, is a crime thriller, which begins with a search for a missing family member, but the plot thickens when the missing person becomes entangled in a crime. A lot of viewers who have watched this Anant Nag starrer recommend this film as a classic.
6. Kavaludaari (Amazon Prime Video): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, was an award winner at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. It is a noir film about a Bengaluru cop who investigates a crime, and in the process gets stuck in a plot that hits closer home. Rishi, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan, and Roshni Prakash are in the cast.
7. Mundina Nildana (Amazon Prime Video): A romance that hits all the right notes, this film directed by Vinay Bharadwaj was nominated for an award at the Bengaluru International Film festival. The film is a modern take on how young people discover friendship, love and their careers. The cast includes Praveen Tej, Radhika Narayan and Ananya Kashyap.
8. Gantumoote (Amazon Prime Video): Gantumoote is an internationally acclaimed film, which was directed by Roopa Rao. The sensitive film was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike for bringing out the perspective of a young girl who grows into womanhood. The coming-of-age film, starring Teju Belawadi and Nischith Korodi, raised a lot of discussion around women directors in Sandalwood after it was excluded from the competition category for Kannada films at the Bengaluru International Film Festival.
9. Avane Srimannarayana (Amazon Prime Video): This Rakshit Shetty starrer, which was released across the south to popular appeal, is a must watch. The film, directed by Sachin Ravi, paints a wide canvas, passing through an almost mythological and fantastical backdrop with Rakshit Shetty in the middle of the story as the bad cop. The movie runs a little long, but the twist in the tale keeps you guessing.