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Kannada Hemanth Rao, recognized for emotionally resonant movies like ‘Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu’ and ‘Sapta Saagaradaache Ello’, isn’t any stranger to crafting cinema that lingers. However together with his newest manufacturing ‘Agnyathavasi’, which hit theatres on April 11, 2025, Rao discovered himself navigating a distinct type of discourse, one which performed out not on the massive display, however on social media. Not too long ago, a troll criticised the movie’s poor promotions stating that it was the reason for movie’s underperformance on the field workplace.
Within the days following the movie’s launch, a submit on X claimed that ‘Agnyathavasi’ failed not resulting from content material, however resulting from a scarcity of promotional effort. “No Promotion, No Viewers!! It’s That Easy (sic),” the submit learn, praising different current Kannada releases like ‘Yuddhakaanda’ and ‘Veera Chandrahasa’ for doing promotions “proper”, whereas accusing ‘Agnyathavasi’s’ staff of anticipating magic with out making noise.
This is the submit:
Hemanth Rao replying to the submit, wrote, “Silence is usually misunderstood to be affirmation of your opinion… Simple solutions usually are not all the time the correct solutions. Every movie has its personal distinctive id and journey. Because the saying goes, comparability is the thief of pleasure.”
He acknowledged that the staff may ‘do higher’ with promotions, however pushed again towards reductive takes. “We’ll mirror, be taught, and go once more,” he added, whereas additionally thanking those that supported the movie.
Curiously, earlier than ‘Agnyathavasi’s’ launch, Rao spoke about these very challenges in an interview with Hindustan Instances, providing a glimpse into the hopes the movie carried. “I positively hope so,” he mentioned when requested whether or not ‘Agnyathavasi’ may replicate the pan-Indian success of Malayalam thrillers. “It might be good if it crosses borders and resonates with audiences,” he added.
He additionally acknowledged the robust yr for Kannada cinema: over 70 movies had been launched in 2025 alone, with many struggling to search out viewers. However fairly than seeing this as a setback, Rao seen it as a possibility. “I don’t need to complain. I’d fairly break this panorama with totally different sorts of cinema. Many of the viewers involves theatres for tentpole movies, however good storytelling also can deliver Kannada audiences again,” he mentioned.
‘Agnyathavasi’, a 1997-set thriller thriller directed by Gultoo filmmaker Janardhan Chikkanna, incorporates a solid that features Rangayana Raghu, Siddu Moolimani, Pavana Gowda, and Ravishankar Gowda. The movie was introduced in early 2023 however confronted a number of delays earlier than arriving in theatres in April.
Whereas the controversy on promotions has sparked dialogue, it has additionally highlighted an important query for the Kannada trade: how do sturdy tales discover their approach to greater audiences? For Rao, the reply is nuanced – not in formulaic methods, however in constructing a tradition of sustained, long-term connection between cinema and viewers.
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