Bengaluru : TV medium is increasingly becoming a favourite hunting ground for Kannada film stars, with the likes of Puneeth Rajkumar, Sudeep, Ramesh Aravind, Akul Balaji, Srujan Lokesh and Actor Ganesh who was once a very famous name in small screen with his ‘Comedy Time’ program, is all set to follow the suit by hosting a new game show on ETV Kannada titled “Ganesh Super Minute”
The growing competition between the primary GECs in Kannada market has resulted in a beeline of big ticket shows like “Big Boss 2” on Suverna, “Weekend with Ramesh” on Zee Kannada and upcoming show in ETV Kannada “Ganesh Super Minute” which are being lined-up against each other, which resulted in the market being flooded with such star-studded Non-fiction shows that has given a lot of options for the viewers.
It seems the ratings war among the TV channels has coasted a considerable damage to the revenues of Kannada film Industry. According to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) the participation of film stars in television shows hugely affected the theatrical collections of the Kannada films due to popular stars anchoring reality shows on weekends, which are considered as the peak collection time for theatres and the these reality shows are reducing the weekend footfalls to theatres which is causing huge losses to the film industry.
Many producers have demanded that films of stars who participate in TV shows should not be supported for release in theatres and distribution. Some are also contemplating not to make films with such actors. All this comes in the backdrop of claims by exhibitors and producers that the box office collections of Kannada films, especially evening shows, have dropped ever since two big stars; Sudeep and Ramesh Aravind started hosting Bigg Boss 2 and Weekend With Ramesh Aravind respectively and Ganesh show starting in ETV Kannada soon, will add it up.
A crucial meeting took place at the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce on this issue, as large number of producers have written to the chamber seeking its intervention and action against stars who are participating in television shows. With most of the producers demanding a move to restrain actors from taking up television shows.
Mr. H.D. Gangaraju, KFCC president, stated that the Karnataka Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) has written a letter to the apex film body asking it to “restrain” the three stars from hosting shows. “Following a formal letter from the KFPA, we had a discussion with producers on Monday and decided to hold another discussion on August 24,”
It is understood that the KFCC would also hold meetings with actors’ and directors’ associations and chief executive officers of entertainment channels, before making a final decision on this issue. Meanwhile, N. Munirathna, KFPA president, cautiously stated that “he did not want to comment till the issue was discussed at the association’s executive committee meeting on August 27”.
On the other hand Mr. Gangaraju, gave another dimension to the brewing issue stating that “the genesis of the problem lay in entertainment channels becoming selective while buying satellite rights of films, following a cap on advertisements by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). They are buying films starring Shivarajkumar, Puneet Rajkumar, Sudeep, Darshan, Ganesh and a few other top stars”.
This has caused considerable jitters to the Channel heads in Kannada market as they are worried about the future of their shows which on-air and few being scheduled to commence by the end of August. Moreover, Star studded shows are always considered as a strategic tool to boost up the viewership instantly. while their future will be decided in couple of days after the scheduled meeting of the respective trade bodies.
