The Kannada film industry, or Sandalwood as it is referred to, is doing very well at catering to a nationwide audience in recent times. The KGF films allowed the Kannada industry to make its way into the pan-India sector, with both the films doing exceptionally well.
Recently, 777 Charlie, another Kannada film, depicting a warm bond between a dog and its owner was also released on a pan-India level and received a very positive response. The latest pan-India offering from the industry is the Kichcha Sudeep-starrer Vikram Rona, scheduled to be released later this month.
Most people would credit KGF: Chapter 1 for propelling the Kannada industry towards making pan-India films but there was a movie in the early 90s which can be officially called the first pan-India film from Sandalwood. Many of whom were born before the 90s may have heard of the cult classic Shanti Kranti that was released in 1991. The movie was bilingual at a time when bilingual films were not yet popular in the country. Produced by the Kannada movie industry, Shanti Kranti was simultaneously shot in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil as well.
Produced and directed by V Ravichandran, the film also starred him in the leading role in the Kannada version while Rajinikanth played the lead in the Hindi and Tamil versions. Akkineni Nagarjuna starred as the lead in the Telugu part.
The film also had Juhi Chawla and Anant Nag playing pivotal roles. Making a bilingual project of this scale and shooting simultaneously with all the actors involved was a herculean task for the early 90s and V Ravichandran had almost given up, halfway through the project. Ravichandran later stated in an interview that it took him about four years to complete the ambitious project.
Considering the distribution in various languages and the salaries of the stars involved, the movie had a high budget. However, it did not do business as expected of it at the box office, earning less than anticipated. The film got lost in the sands of time but true cinephiles will always remember Shanti Kranti as the first Kannada movie that attempted to cater to a nationwide audience.
