Was ‘pan-Indian’ a passing fad?

The lukewarm response to Kannada film Martin has ignited conversations about the waning appeal of ‘pan-Indian’ productions.

Made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, lavish by Kannada cinema standards, Martin is struggling to touch the Rs 30 crore mark at the box office. Meanwhile, fans of the hero, Dhruva Sarja, have filed a police case against a social media influencer who posted an unflattering review of the film. Police got the influencer to delete the review he had posted on YouTube.

Martin has largely left critics unimpressed. Makers of pan-Indian cinema set out to create content that appeals to a broad, national audience. Many, including the renowned Kannada lyricist and music composer Hamsalekha, argue that this approach leads to a loss of nativity and cultural specificity, resulting in films disconnected from their roots.

Pan-Indian filmmaking gained ground in Kannada after the success of ‘KGF’ Chapter 1 and 2 and ‘Kantara’. The two KGF films, made at a cost of Rs 180 crore, earned a mind-boggling Rs 1450 crore.

Kantara was made on a modest budget of Rs 16 crore, and raked in Rs 450 crore. However, films like Kabza, Vikrant Rona, Banaras, Ghost, and Martin, which followed, couldn’t replicate the success of these three films.

Actor-director Ramesh Aravind says pan-Indian cinema is not new. ‘Roja’ (1992), made in Tamil, gained national acceptance 30 years ago. Filmmakers cannot dictate a film’s pan-Indian status. Audiences decide a film’s national appeal, he says.

Rajendra Singh Babu, who likes to mount his Kannada films on a large canvas, recalls that his Nagarahole (1977), Kiladi Jodi (1978) and Ganda Berunda (1984) featured actors from multiple languages. They were made in Kannada and later dubbed into other languages.

Director Mansore says films showcasing nativity, as in Girish Kasaravalli’s Ghatashraddha (1977), appeal to all of India. His advice: “Embrace roots to create films that resonate nationally.”

B S Ranga’s ‘Mahishasura Mardini’ (1959), dubbed into seven languages, is believed to be the first pan-India Kannada film. Ravichandran’s ‘Shanti Kranti’ (1991) was shot in multiple languages. It featured actors from different languages in the same scene. These films prove that pan-Indian cinema is not new, but an evolution of earlier experiments.

Gangster dramas dominate when it comes to current pan-Indian productions. Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali films were earlier known for socially relevant themes, while Telugu and Tamil films rode on mass entertainment. Gangster dramas are now being made to reach Telugu and Tamil audiences as well, according to film critic Sreedhara Murthy. “We see a complex interplay between cultural identity, economic goals, and the evolving film industry,” he says.

Film critic Muralidhar Khajane highlights a recurring pattern. “Creating film templates is a longstanding tradition. It happened after the success of Janumada Jodi (1996), Mungaru Male (1996) and the ‘KGF’ franchise. Most such attempts fail to recreate the magic,” he says.

Critics targeted

Film writers Showtime spoke to are upset that criticism is being silenced by filmmakers, stars, and their fans.

Registering cases against reviewers is a threat to objective criticism. The audience wasn’t eager for Martin, but the production house was, and that is at the root of the problem, a critic says. 

“What if the audiences file a complaint against attempts to sell a subpar product?” filmmaker Mansore poses a thought-provoking question.

Insiders say claims of Rs 100 crore earnings in a day for pan-Indian films are inflated. Numbers are manipulated to create hype. Tickets are exorbitantly priced for the first two days. In the Kannada industry, some hire influencers to promote or discredit films.

‘Martin’ began as a Kannada film, but it was converted into pan-Indian film later. Director A P Arjun and producer Uday Mehta had differences from the beginning. Mediation was needed and the director approached a court to have his name included in the publicity material. All this affected the final outcome, according to a source.