The mind behind ‘Kantara,’ ‘KGF 2’ and ‘Salaar’: A deep-dive into the workings of Hombale Movies

When Hombale Movies bought off to a shaky begin in 2014 with Ninnindale, nobody might have predicted that in lower than eight years, the manufacturing home would come to redefine the idea of pan-Indian cinema and alter the fortunes of the Kannada Movie Business (KFI). 

The winning-streak, that started with Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer Raajakumara (2017), has remained unbroken, with Hombale delivering three superhits back-to-back, two of these (KGF: Chapter 2 and Kantara) in a span of simply six months.   

The mercurial rise of Hombale, a brainchild of Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda, displays a dedication to taking native tales to a world stage. Supported by audience-focused market survey, research-backed scripting and meticulous planning, its productions have turn into a masterclass in not simply how movies are made, but in addition marketed and promoted.

With Hombale’s attain and manufacturing worth solely getting greater and higher with every movie, it’s no shock that individuals are actually dubbing it the ‘way forward for Sandalwood’. Aspiring to interrupt the limitations of language, the manufacturing home has now unfold its roots to all south Indian movie industries and has a packed calendar with 12 movies releasing within the subsequent two years.  

Grateful and basking within the “divine blessing” that Kantara has been, Vijay Kiragandur tells The Hindu about their endeavour to marry artistic spirit with business forces, diversifying into totally different sorts of content material, and their dream for constructing model Hombale.  

A nonetheless from ‘KGF: Chapter 2’
| Picture Credit score:
The Hindu

Q / In lower than a decade, Hombale Movies has established itself as a reputable manufacturing home. Every of your movies have been greater than the final; how do you clarify this consistency?

A /
At Hombale Movies, we wish to make films which can be accepted by the broader viewers and never simply chase numbers. To ship that, we take up analysis and surveys other than specializing in the writing and the path. Submit-COVID, folks have been uncovered to all kinds of content material. To attempt for one thing totally different and constant, we make investments a whole lot of time in planning. As an illustration, with KGF, we spent three years solely on finishing the script, whereas for Kantara, we spent about both months. 

Q /
H ow a lot do you contain your self within the script? 

A /
Earlier than a movie goes on flooring, there’s full involvement from our aspect together with a weekly sitting with the writers, administrators and manufacturing group. Parallelly, we additionally work on the scheduling and budgeting. Solely as soon as we log off on the script, funds and schedule, does the manufacturing start. After that, it’s a hands-off strategy.

Q / What are the elements you contemplate when planning a advertising and promotion technique for a movie?

A /
From exhibition to advertising, we determine the areas/nations to focus on and the sort of promotion to do. Kannada films have had all the time held nice potential to work exterior of Karnataka however no one had tapped into it. With KGF: Chapter 1, as soon as we knew we had film in hand, we determined to go all out and launch pan-India. We spent extra on the publicity and advertising for KGF: Chapter 1 than on the making itself!

A nonetheless from ‘Kantara’
| Picture Credit score:
The Hindu

Q / In contrast to ‘KGF,’ ‘Kantara’ was launched as a straight Kannada movie first. Have been there doubts if it might work pan-India? 

A /
There was a dilemma, undoubtedly. Whereas we trusted the universality of Kantara’s story, some exhibitors and distributors we had proven it to expressed blended opinions because it was particular to the coastal Karnataka area. Because of their apprehensions, we waited until the premiere on November 29. Nevertheless, previous to that, we had stored dubbing groups on standby from all 4 languages. As soon as the movie took off, we accomplished the dubbing course of in simply 7 days. 

Q / Hombale Movies branched out into two extra industries this 12 months. What made you’re taking that leap?

A /
Whereas we consider in telling tales rooted in Karnataka, we didn’t wish to get restricted to the Kannada trade and wished to develop our enterprise mannequin. Our subsequent pan-India launch would be the Malayalam movie Dhoomam starring Fahadh Faasil and Aparna Balamurali, and directed by Pawan Kumar. We even have Keerthy Suresh-starrer Raghu Thatha. The latter is a region-specific story, so we thought it finest to launch it as a bilingual film in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.  Salaar, nonetheless, would be the largest 2023 launch; greater than any of our releases thus far. We have now 5 movies within the pipeline for 2023. 

The founders of Hombale Movies, Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda
| Picture Credit score:
PTI

Q / The Kannada trade noticed phenomenal box-office numbers thanks to some large releases. However total, we additionally suffered because of weak content material. As producers, the place do you suppose the trade goes mistaken and the way can we rectify it? 

A /
The massive mistake was that individuals began making films for streaming platforms with none funds or data of filmmaking and writing. There’s ample scope for content material within the leisure trade, nevertheless it shouldn’t be taken as a right. Now that OTTs are choosy about films, makers are being pressured to launch them in theatres. These movies lack imaginative and prescient and don’t deal with the storyline or star forged. Although we invite folks to return with concepts for content-driven films, we anticipate the pitches to be backed by sturdy analysis; that’s the correction required. 

Q / What’s your long-term imaginative and prescient for Hombale? 

A /
When audiences hear the title of Disney or Marvel, they rush to the screens with out ready for a score or a evaluate. That’s the dream we now have for Hombale. We wish to inform rooted, genuine tales about our tradition whereas additionally contributing to the economic system.  

A /
Our five-year plan is to take a position ₹3000 crore within the leisure trade – be it films, sequence, OTT originals or music. Yearly, we wish to launch 5 films out of which one will likely be an occasion film like KGF and Salaar.

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