From 'Salaar' to 'ACT-1978', here is a rundown of the crucial events in Sandalwood in 2020

Kannada Cinema, much like the rest of the world, has seen an array of interesting events occurring during the course of the last 11 and a half months. While some of them have been slightly thought-provoking and necessary in a way, the rest have been rather unfortunate (and tragic in some cases) in nature. So, let's take a look at some of these crucial events that shall stay in public memory even after the turn of the year - for both good and bad reasons.

In a very confusing and murky state of affairs, Sandalwood went through (and continues to do so) a rather dark phase when a number of celebrities were arrested by the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru for possession, usage, and distribution of narcotics. Unfortunately, the two main celebrities caught in the middle of the entire drama were popular actresses Sajjanaa Galrani and Ragini Dwivedi, who eventually became the face of the scandal. In a sudden twist of fates, the two were arrested and put in jail (along with another rung of people including various peddlers, party planners, etc.) in the month of September. However, Sanjjanaa Galrani was recently granted bail on the grounds of health but Ragini Dwivedi still remains in jail. Actors Diganth and Aindrita Ray too were questioned by the police but were let go without being punished. Indeed, the ongoing scandal has questioned a number of prevailing issues in the industry - especially the prominent patriarchy that seems to protect many of the male counterparts.

As if the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting anguish wasn't enough, Kannada Cinema fans were subjected to further despair and grief with Chiranjeevi Sarja's passing. The talented actor, who was only 40 years old at the time of his death, was destined for great things in both professional and personal lives and the untimely passing on the 7th of June, 2020 still haunts everyone. His wife and fellow actor Meghana Raj was pregnant at the time of his death and gave birth to a healthy baby boy on the 22nd of October.

Perhaps the best highlight in an otherwise gloomy year, the reopening of cinema halls brought the focus back onto the most important thing in the industry - the making of films. With films like 'ACT-1978' and 'Arishadvarga' releasing to great acclaim by critics and audiences alike, Kannada Cinema began to slowly - but surely - recuperate from the losses suffered in the recent past. Now, as of today, a number of films await release and - with the restrictions getting relaxed simultaneously - things only brighter from this point onwards.

One could say that actor Jaggesh's comments about the ongoing trend of 'pan-India' cinema have been grossly misconstrued. Though he took no names while touching upon the topic, many assumed that he was referring to one of the industry's biggest actors and the issue blew out of proportion. A conversation, thus, ensued on social media wherein Jaggesh clarified repeatedly about the intention behind the comments and suggested that he only spoke for the betterment of the industry and nothing more. Therefore, this small but crucial event made things interesting for a while and also threw light on a number of important things.

Prashanth Neel and Hombale Films are on their way to achieve great success at the national level. Soon to be released 'K.G.F: Chapter-2' is set to break many records and also put Kannada Cinema on the map and on par with some of the other major film industries in India. However, the announcement of their next project ('Salaar') with Telugu superstar Prabhas irked many Kannada Cinema fans who felt that the makers had overlooked the sheer depth of the local talent pool. In response, director Prashanth Neel offered to clarify the matter only when the time arrives and not a moment earlier.

The Vijay Rangaraju controversy came at the fag end of the year and threatened to make things bitter for many Kannada Cinema fans. However, although unsolicited at the point, the controversy brought all the bigwigs of the industry together for one unified cause and showed that the late, and great, Dr. Vishnuvardhan's legacy can't be taken for granted. To those who aren't aware of the issue, Telugu actor/stuntman Vijay Rangaraju made uncouth comments about Dr. Vishnuvardhan but after an incredible crusade that ensued against him, he chose to profusely apologise for the insensitivity.