2013: A year of experimental films in Sandalwood

The year 2013 has been a brilliant one for Sandalwood with experimental films setting a new standard in terms of subject, story and narration. Incidentally, all the directors who have helmed these projects are newbies, but this hasn’t deterred them from faring well at the BO. Here’s a look at the year’s experimental flicks that have won accolades from audience as well as critics.
Gombegala Love The film, which was said to be have been made at a shoe-string budget of `75 lakh, is about a bed-ridden couple and won accolades for its different narration. Starring Arun and Pawana in lead roles, it even won the appreciation of Crazy Star Ravichandaran. According to director Santhosh, the movie is inspired from a clipping he saw in a Tamil tele-serial.
Simpleag Ond Love Story This was the first Kannada film to be a hit after becoming popular on the internet and social networking sites. Directed by Suni, the movie put its lead pair Rakshit Shetty and Shwetha Srivatsav in the spotlight. The dialogues clicked with young audiences and also managed to rake up the moolah at the BO.
Lucia Directed by Pawan Kumar, Sandalwood’s first crowd-funded film caught the attention of Bollywood actor Irrfan. The film, which was made on a budget of `50 lakh, was also screened at the London Indian Film Festival and was among the 20 Indian films selected for consideration as India’s entry to the Oscars. The psychological thriller has Sathish Neenasam and Sruthi Hariharan in the lead roles. The film is slated to be made in Tamil and Siddharth is likely to play the male lead.
Jatta Jatta, directed by BM Giriraj, touched upon various subjects like male chauvinism, forest protection and cultural conflicts. Shot in forests, the film set a new benchmark in Kannada cinema. The movie has Kishore, Sukrutha Wagale and Pawana in lead roles, and Kichcha Sudeep is said to have been impressed with the film.