It’s raining cops in the Kannada film industry

Barely three months into 2011, over half a dozen Kannada flicks have the protagonist playing a cop. And there are only many more to follow. The reasons for these have been many, from heroes trying to reinvent their image to remaking some of the biggest hits from across the border.

While Huli seemed to have a decent stint at the box office, the recently released Sudeep-starrer Kempegowda has proved to be a phenomenal hit. Film-maker Omprakash Rao, who directed Huli, says, “This was a movie to establish Kishore, who is a seasoned actor, as a hero. The script was right and his acting took it the extra mile.” Similarly, Prajwal Devaraj played a young ACP in Kote. “It was a challenging role. My father is known to play cops in films and he excelled at it, I was glad that my film did reasonably well and people liked me in my role as one too,” says Devaraj.

Kempegowda, which is a spin-off from last year’s blockbuster Singam, has been this year’s biggest hit so far. Producer Shankar Gowda says, “The subject was such that it appeals to the masses. And Sudeep has wonderfully adapted the story to suit the sensibilities of Kannada masses.”

Even Harish Raj’s Gun, which had him playing a wastrel in it, sees him utilise the gun in the right way in the film and end up becoming a cop. To follow soon will be the Chiranjeevi Sarja-Ramya starrer Dandam Dashagunam. This is a remake of Gautham Menon’s Suriya-Jyotika starrer Kaakha Kaakha.

Aditya, who has won accolades playing underworld roles so far, is also playing a cop next in Mass, which is supposed to be a remake of Salman Khan’s Garv. “I thought it was high time that I played the role of a cop too. And this script is simply too good. It is powerful and hard hitting,” says the actor, who’s almost through with shooting for the film.