Likes, Camera, Action!

Na Driver Ni Nanna Lover, a song by Basu Ghataprabha and Malu Nipanal, has garnered over 146 million views on YouTube in the past 12 months — making it one of the most viewed Kannada songs on the platform. It’s not backed by a big production house, nor does it feature in a Sandalwood film. Both Nipanal and Ghataprabha are from Belagavi district, and have made a mark on YouTube in recent years with their videos.

For film enthusiasts and entertainers in north Karnataka, social media — primarily YouTube — is emerging as an accessible alternative to the Bengaluru-centric film industry for creating and consuming content. “The film industry normally relies on artistes and technicians residing in far-away Bengaluru. North Karnataka has mostly been just an audience,” rues Shankar Ambiger Jamkhandi, a BSNL employee and YouTuber in Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district. Shankar says he struggled a lot to get a part in a couple of Sandalwood films. “But now, social media has disrupted the monopoly of the film industry and is encouraging people to showcase their talent from wherever they are,” he says. He has a small team of around 50 people, and they usually make comedy skits with a social message. “We upload two videos per week. Our target audience is mainly commuters, home makers, and youths. Everyone prefers short-form content these days,” he says.

YouTube has become the platform of choice for four out of every five people online in India, the company had said last year. With its rising popularity, many have switched from other platforms. Praveen Kadapatti, owner of Praveen Music in Ranna Belagali, Mudhol taluk, says a lot of people in north Karnataka used Tiktok for fun. “When it was banned in 2020, they all shifted to YouTube,” he says.

Jagadish Mooki, who used to work in the Kannada TV industry and is now producing his own video content, says, “Plays were very popular in north Karnataka before TV and later internet came around. This form of art is now being revived on social media as skits or sketches. While many local filmmakers are producing such content for YouTube, songs, plays, and dance sequences performed at village fairs and festivals are also being uploaded and are getting a good response.”

YouTube has abundant opportunities for content monetisation, making it easy for the likes of Mooki to generate revenue. “Many content creators with a good number of subscribers earn about Rs 1-5 lakhs a month,” says Mooki. While agricultural labourers earn about Rs 300 to 500 a day, an acting stint in a short film or music video could get them Rs.500, or even more.

Requesting anonymity, a Dharwad-based actress who works in YouTube short films, said that she is earning more than many TV lead actresses in Bengaluru. “There’s high demand for female actresses in short films and music videos. Remuneration ranges between Rs 1,000 to 15,000 per day. Many homemakers are cast, and they get an opportunity to be financially independent. The best part is that the shooting usually takes place within the village or town. It’s a safe environment,” she says.

Koppal-based Suresh Kambali, a primary school teacher and mentor of Karna Talkies channel, says it’s not easy to mobilise funds for these short films. “We make them using locally available resources and manpower,” he says. At the end of the day, Suresh says, the joy of telling stories in regional dialects that people can actually relate to is what inspires them to make such content. “Social media has made it possible to share content with audiences from all corners of the state and even NRI Kannadigas across the world. It’s a matter of pride for us,” he says.