Soft porn movies on the rise in Karnataka

Bangalore, June 16 (IANS) The box office success of Shakeela-starrer sleazy movie "Sixteen to Sixty" has started a new trend in the Kannada film industry, and more and more soft porn movies are queuing up for release.

A movie curiously titled "Romaanchana" hit the screens recently. Industry analysts say six-seven such films are in the pipeline.

These films are generally shot with 16 mm cameras within eight to 12 days. Quality wise, they are less than average. But such films click as the audience looks for cheap excitement, never mind the bad quality.

The exciting portions are called 'bits' in trade circles and are actually sequences from other pornographic films that are added in the print positives, while some original sequences are edited out from the film.

The films run for a week in Bangalore and then move to semi-urban and rural theatres.

Chandrashekhar, the present chairman of the Bangalore regional censor board, has received several complaints from various organisations, protesting against the sleazy films.

He says the board has taken action against such films.

"All those films that are being screened now have been censored. We are keeping very strict vigil to ensure that only portions cleared by the censors are screened," Chandrashekhar told IANS.

"Any violations by the theatres is viewed seriously and police complaints are lodged. We are also ensuring that A certificates are prominently displayed on posters and banners of the film."

However, the box-office success of such films makes the board's task difficult.

"We have formed special squads which will regularly visit theatres with our documents to see that there is no inclusion of sequences that are not passed by us or any addition of unconnected sequences in the film.

"We would also like to make sure that all the sequences that have been cut on our advice are not shown in theatres. So we have also requested the film trade bodies and film producers' association to ensure strict compliance of censorship guidelines.

"We want film trade bodies to have self-regulation to ensure that the people see those films which are cleared by the censor board," said Chandrashekhar.

A few years ago it would have been unthinkable to release films like "Sixteen to Sixty" and "Romaanchana" because of the tough stand the Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA) adopted on women and sex in movies.

Basanth Kumar Patil, the association's former president, decided to put an end to the production and release of such films. He felt it was giving the Kannada film industry a bad name.

Even the police were strict. They used to raid theatres and seize the prints. Theatres too were unwilling to show such films.

In fact, "Romaanchana" release was stalled seven years ago because the KFPA had threatened to protest in front of the theatres screening the movie.

But with the success of "Sixteen to Sixty", things are changing. "Romaanchana" dared to show 'bit' pieces for viewers' titillation. The sequences are not relevant to the film's story.

Despite all the measures taken by the censor board, soft porn films produced in the Kannada language manage to get A-certificate and are screened across the state.