The Top Kannada Films of 2013

2013 saw a makeover of the Kannada film industry. Some films successfully managed to bring back audiences to the cinema halls. Others created a buzz in markets outside of the home state.

Young filmmakers well versed in the craft of filmmaking and educated in world cinema and literature, made an entry.  

They were not looking to remake films from other languages into Kannada, a welcome change.

Here are the top five films in Kannada based on merit not on box office performance.

Lucia

Director: Pawan Kumar

Cast: Sathish Neenasam, Sruthi Hariharan, Achyut Kumar

Pawan Kumar's Lucia is most definitely the best film to have come out of the Kannada film industry this year.

The new method of crowd funding for its production was a trail blazer for other independent films.

The intricate and innovative screenplay, narration, brilliant performances by Sathish Neenasam, Achyut Kumar and technically top- notch camera work and editing, made for repeat viewing.

After winning the audience's award at the London Indian Film Festival, Pawan Kumar successfully made non-Kannadigas watch a Kannada film, not only in his home state but also across other metros in India.

Director: Suni

Cast: Rakshith Shetty, Swetha Srivastav

Suni's romantic comedy made waves online with its trailer and generated a lot of hype.

With the successful casting newcomers, Rakshit Shetty and Swetha Srivastav, and fresh-sounding dialogues, the movie was a trend setter.

Director: B M Giriraj

Cast: Kishore, Sukratha Wagle

Jatta was realistic and hard hitting. Kishore and Sukrutha Wagle came up with stellar performances.

The film is about a forest officer and the conflicting emotions he experiences after his wife leaves him. He later encounters a city girl in the forest.

Director: K S Ashoka

Cast: Darshan Apoorva, Krishna Prakash, Pallavi, Tanuja, Vijay Chendoor, Mruthyunjaya.

A gripping supernatural thriller, 6-5=2 is probably Sandalwood's answer to Hollywood's Blair Witch Project.

Made with a small budget of Rs 30 lakh, the film claimed to have used actual ‘found footage’ of a missing trekker and supernatural stories from the forest guards of the Western Ghats.

The story revolves around six friends who decide to go trekking and their encounter with supernatural elements in the forest.

Though the film did not use any traditional marketing through the media to promote itself, word of mouth played a strong role in bringing it into the limelight.

Director: Jayatheertha

Cast: Srinagar Kitty, Aindrita Ray

A philosophical thriller, where the protagonist rechristens himself Tony after being inspired by American self-help author Anthony Robbins and decides to climb the ladder of success.

The twist in the tale when a gang takes his girlfriend hostage and how eventually he realises that he has been working for an organised crime gang forms the rest of the film.

The film cuts between the past and present.

Riveting narration with background music by Sadhu Kokila made the film interesting.