Raj B Shetty debunks myths: The truth about Malayalam cinema budgets

Kannada filmmaker-actor Raj B. Shetty has waded into the debate about why the Kannada film industry is not as successful as the Malayalam film industry. There are a few popular assumptions that Malayalam movies are budget-friendly and are developing a steady fan following across the country purely on their storytelling prowess.

Raj B. Shetty, however, dismissed such observations as half-baked and untrue. He painted a clearer picture of the problems plaguing the mainstream Kannada film industry, emphasizing that a lack of talent or imagination is not among them.

"We need to understand one thing. Are we doing as well as Malayalam cinema in all departments? Is everyone delivering the same level of good performance? How are we doing in makeup? What about cinematography and background score? Lastly, are we marketing the film as well as them? No, right. We are doing something wrong," asked Raj B. Shetty in a recent interview.

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There is a belief that Malayalam movies have a ready fan base to appreciate experimental films, while similar attempts in Kannada cinema are not appreciated enough.

Raj, who has also worked in Malayalam movies, clarified this misguided presumption with some hard facts. "You assume Malayalam cinema makes small-budget movies, but that's not correct. Premam is an Rs 8-10 crore movie. But, we think it's an Rs 3 crore movie? What we are doing is in the range of Rs 2 or Rs 3 crore. Their small-budget film costs Rs 10 crore. Aavesham and Manjummel Boys are Rs 30-35 crore movies. Aadujeevitham is an Rs 70 crore movie. So I don't understand what small-budget movies are you talking about," he explained.

Raj was last seen in the Malayalam movie Turbo, starring superstar Mammootty. Despite garnering mixed reviews, the film went on to earn more than Rs 70 crore in ticket sales, becoming one of the biggest hits in Malayalam cinema this year.

Raj is now busy promoting his latest movie, Roopanthara, which has garnered positive reviews from critics.

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