Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) is holding a three-day regional film festival in Mangaluru to mark the achievement of the Tulu film industry in crossing the 100-movie mark. Four landmark Tulu films, including national award winning movie Paddayi, directed by Abhaya Simha, will be screened in the festival, besides films in Kannada, Kodava, Banjara, Konkani and Beary languages.

According to Nagatihalli Chandrashekar, Chairman, KCA, nine films will be screened at the regional film festival scheduled to be held at a state-of-the-art screen in St. Aloysius College from September 21 to 23.

“This week, the number of Tulu films made in the last four decades will be crossing the 100 mark. This regional film festival is to mark the event,” he said.

Many of the Tulu films have managed to complete 100 days in theatres. The ₹60-lakh Chaali Polilu made ₹2 crore at the box office recently. This despite the fact that Tulu is not a language included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, and is spoken only in the coastal districts of Karnataka by about 75-lakh people, said Mr. Chandrashekar.

Attributing the success of the Tulu film industry to the patronage of Tulu-speaking people in Mumbai and abroad, especially in the United Arab Emirates, Tulu scholar Dr. Na. Damodadara Shetty said, “No other language, being spoken by a small community, in the country has made an achievement of this kind in films.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / September 15th, 2018