In Pictures: How 'Kirik Party' changed the landscape in its own subtle ways

Film 'Kirik Party' completes four years today and every corner of social media is making this announcement in a blaring style. A watershed moment for many first-timers, the film paved a way forward, and along with its commercial exploits, it also proved to be more than just a worthwhile entertainer. Its songs are still hummed with great joy, its words are still mouthed with pride, and its characters have etched a permanent sketch on the minds and hearts of many million admirers. So, marking these various achievements, let's take a look at how 'Kirik Party' contributed to the changing landscape of Kannada Cinema, in its own subtle ways.

Image Courtesy: Twitter

It would be unwise to decode the reasons for Rashmika Mandanna's phenomenal popularity post the success of 'Kirik Party'. Having been a model prior to her foray into films, Rashmika shot to fame almost instantaneously and went onto achieve much more in the coming years. Today, she is one the busiest actresses in South Indian cinema and is set to make a debut in Bollywood too. Plus, she was declared the National Crush of India by Google, India a few weeks ago. All this can be attributed to 'Kirik Party' as that was her first prominent step towards superstardom.

Image Courtesy: Rashmika Mandanna's Instagram, and Twitter

For Rakshit Shetty too, 'Kirik Party' is a game-changer in many regards. Granted that he was already a popular actor through films like 'Simpallagi Ondu Love Story' and 'Ulidavaru Kandanthe', but the astonishing success of 'Kirik Party' put him right on the top of the 'most sought-after actors' list in the industry. Plus, he also turned producer for the first time and opened up more avenues for himself.

In the same vein, 'Kirik Party' is Rishab Shetty's first commercial success as a director. Having made 'Ricky' previously, the 'Bell Bottom' actor found tremendous traction with 'Kirik Party'.

Image Courtesy: Rakshit Shetty's Instagram, and Twitter

Through 'Kirik Party' several voices were springboarded into the industry and consequently, many of them are on-course today to become bonafide talents in their own rights. Many of the writers who scripted the film as part of The Seven Odds have gone on to either co-write bigger projects or venture into direction post 'Kirik Party'. Kiranraj K is currently directing Rakshit Shetty's '777 Charlie' while Chandrajith Belliappa went on to direct one of the segments in 'Katha Sangama'. Similarly, writers Abhijit Mahesh and Dhananjay Rangan too have found suitable success since the release of 'Kirik Party'.

Image Courtesy: Facebook

According to sources, 'Kirik Party' was the biggest hit for a film with a modest budget since the release of 'Mungaru Male' in 2006. Made with a budget of 10 crores, 'Kirik Party' broke all the shackles that bound such projects and proved that content takes the film all the way through. Alongside, it was also Rakshit Shetty's biggest success until his own film 'Avane Srimannarayana' broke the record about three years later.

Image Courtesy: Facebook

The Kannada Film Industry was rigged with the "remake" problem for many years and it was quite apparent, at one point, that there is no original in-house content being conceived. However, with films like 'Kirik Party' - and many others including 'Mungaru Male', 'U-Turn', 'Ondu Motteya Kathe', etc. - the trend turned on its head as other industries began to look at Kannada Cinema for interesting content. Though one can't claim that 'Kirik Party' began the trend, it would still be fair to say that the film has brought a sense of freshness and novelty back into the industry.

Image Courtesy: Facebook