The Kannada and Tamil film industries may seem like they are at loggerheads. But scratch the surface and you'll find that they've forged a special synergy that is above petty politics
The Kannada and Tamil film industries may seem like they are at loggerheads. But scratch the surface and you'll find that they've forged a special synergy that is above petty politics
Both of the superstars of Tamil filmdom, Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan, who attended the platinum jubilee celebrations of Kannada cinema last month, had the same thing to say. "Artistes are above language, caste and religion. Please do not disturb the serenity and sanctity of the cultural world, particularly the long-standing relationship between Kannada cinema and Tamil cinema, for political gains," they chorused.
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The Kannada and Tamil film industries may seem like they are often at loggerheads. But scratch the surface and you'll find that they've forged a special synergy that is above petty politics.
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All these industries were largely dependant on Madras for various aspects of the film production. Thus the unusual love-hate relationship that Kannada and Tamil entertainment industries share dates back to early days of filmmaking.
Studios led the way
Though attempts were made to set up studios in Karnataka, they couldn't succeed. The studios failed to flourish as business propositions and ran into huge losses. So, Kannada production houses continued to knock on the doors of studios in Madras, and other places in Tamil Nadu like Salem and Coimbatore.
Two-way traffic
u00a0Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar too had to reside in Madras for a while because there were no good studios and sound labs in Bangalore at that time.
One can list a number of actors who have gone from the Kannada industry and made it big in Tamil films.
Jayalalithaa, who hailed from Karnataka, has taken the films route to turn into a successful politician like her mentor MGR. As for other stars, starting from Rajnikant and Kokila Mohan to Murali, Arjun Sarja and Prakash Rai in more recent times, the list just goes on.u00a0
The Tamil film industry has welcomed all these actors with open arms. It then seems like the only prerequisite for any actor to make it big in Tamil films was acting skills with fluency in the language. And for cinema-loving Kannadigas, the need was a good film irrespective of the maker.
Ace director Manirathnam made his debut with Pallavi Anupallavi in Kannada. Ilaiyaraja, the music director who changed the Indian film music scene completely and gave it a global standing, had his humble beginnings in Kannada films.
What is special about these two language groups is the fact that all the animosity melts into something as fundamental as love for cinema, each time. Sharp differences between both the states erupted during the Cauvery water sharing controversy. But then, stars like Rajnikant expressed displeasure over politicising the issue.u00a0
Though the people of the two states are sometimes unhappy about issues besides entertainment, they continue to welcome each others' movies with the same undiminished love. Politically they may stand divided at times, but culturally the two industries have always stood united.
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