Sandalwood has produced over 200 movies in 2018. Like every year, the success rate is less, but the industry should be happy to see that genuine attempts are being appreciated by the audience and our content is slowly crossing the borders. The industry is gaining some foothold in the US market and a few overseas countries, while KGF has got good recognition to the industry across the globe.
Among 200 odd movies, there are handful of movies which every cine-goer should watch not just to enjoy the film, but to get an idead about the progress Sandalwood has made in the recent years. Here, we have come up with the list of top 10 movies which the audience should not miss:
Gultoo: A new-age movie that deals with data theft and exposes the way our data is being mined for money. It tries to showcase how our every single moment is recorded and has a price on the internet. In short, the movie shows how technology can bring misery to our lives but doesn't take a stand whether tech is good or bad.
Katheyondu Shuruvagide: Senna Hegde's film came as a fresh breath of air. Packed with slice-of-the-life moments, the Diganth-starrer has a simple, yet a beautiful storyline.
Aa Karaala Ratri: Greed is destructive and it destroys everything. This is the underlining message of Dayal Padmanabhan's Aa Karaala Ratri, which starred JK aka Jayaram Karthik and Anupama Gowda. The film tells how money can make a good man an evil and lure him to do a crime.
KGF: Chapter 1: Yash and Prashanth Neel's KGF has turned out to be Sandalwood's pride. The movie is dubbed into Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam languages and has become the talk of the nation. It is a period drama which tells the story of an ambitious man, who wants to become a rich and powerful person.
Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale, Kasaragod: Rishab Shetty's third directorial movie Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale - Kasaragod (SHPSK) is a children's film, which portrays students struggle to save a government Kannada school from closure. The movie is centred around this issue and story is told with humour.
Ammachi Yemba Nenapu: Champa P Shetty's Ammachi Yemba Nenapu is about the patriarchal society where the men wield complete authority on women's lives. The movie has Raj B Shetty, Vyjayanti Adiga, Dr Radhakrishna Ural, Diya Palakkal and Deepika P Aradhya on lead roles, is based on Dr Vaidehi's short stories.
Churikatte: A crime story set in Malnad, it is about an aspiring cop trying to take on the timber mafia. The smart writing with strong performances from the cast makes it a must-watch film.
Tagaru: Duniya Soori's Tagaru, which had Shivaraj Kumar and Dhananjay in the leads, is a bloody battle between a daring cop and a ruthless rowdy. The non-linear narration, performance and songs struck the chord with viewers.
Raambo 2: Sharan's movies are mainly watched to get some good laughs and Raambo 2 successfully lives up to the viewers' expectations. But the movie has more to offer as it comes with a good message to the society.
The Villain: It is the first union (in full-fledged roles) of Sandalwood's heavy-weights Sudeep and Shivaraj Kumar. Kiccha's colourful avatars and acting, also the way Shivanna underplayed his role deserves huge applause. The story, though stretched to some extent, had enough twists and turns to keep the audience hooked.
