Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare, made by newcomers, has brought much-needed relief to the Kannada film industry this year. Released on Friday, July 21, amid the ‘Barbenheimer’ frenzy, the campus comedy is standing on its own, unaffected by the hype around Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
Shot in the cinema verite style with a screenplay that throws juicy surprises at every turn, the film is mostly a laugh riot. Around 50,000 tickets were sold on the opening day while the count increased on Saturday, the makers told The Hindu. Loved by the college crowd, the film is expected to wrap up a terrific weekend with a strong performance on Sunday.
This is a welcome change for Kannada cinema as it had not witnessed a single blockbuster since the sensational hit Kantara, which came out on September 29 last year. With only a consolation in Daredevil Musthafa, the industry suffered a slump in the first half of this year after a memorable 2022.
