What's The Secret to K.G.F and Kantara's Success?

From K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) which grossed more than ₹250 crores, and its sequel K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022), which crossed ₹1,200 crores, to the ₹400 crore-grosser Kantara (2022), the ₹703 crore-grosser Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023) and Bagheera (2024), which has so far grossed ₹35 crores — Hombale Films is home to some of India’s biggest blockbuster films.

Founded by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda 10 years ago, the production house has  three simple goals: to make pan-India Kannada films, bring India’s 1.43 billion people to the theatres, and then take Indian cinema to the world. With the resounding success of Kantara and K.G.F: Chapter 1 and 2, they’ve checked the first one off their list already.

They told  The Hollywood Reporter India about  their latest collaboration with actor Prabhas, their secret to making blockbuster films, and transforming the landscape of pan-India films.

What’s the recipe for a box-office hit?

The first thing is the story. If the story excites us, then we look at directors who have the potential to take it forward. Because when writers narrate a story, it sounds fantastic; but when it comes to translating that into a screenplay, and bringing it to the  screen with a director, not everyone gets it right. After selecting the right director, we choose an actor who fits the story, who can do justice to it, and one who can work with that director to fulfil their dream. When it comes to the budget, it has to be commercially viable so we do some theatrical and non-theatrical assessments. We don’t invest money without thinking about how the film will perform.

Speaking of hit films, you’ve signed a three-film deal with Prabhas for ₹200 crores each.

He is a little shy with the public and media, but as a person, he is as they call him — Mr Darling. We share a very good rapport and in fact, he wanted to do more than three movies. But Vijay was scared and said, let’s try three first! (laughs) Vijay and Prabhas share a very meaningful relationship. More than the commercial remuneration, it is about the bond between our production house and Prabhas. He has complete faith in how we make the movie, production-wise, how we market it, promote it and take it to the ground for release. During Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, he saw how we managed the release and even had to fight with other production houses and distributors. So this personal connection, the kind of stories and directors we select, and the confidence in the production house all comes into play. Prabhas is the only actor in India to have seen seven pan-Indian movies from Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) to Kalki 2898 AD (2024). And between him and Hombale, there are six or seven blockbusters, making up 30-40% of the most successful Indian movies. Now our aim is to attract foreign audiences the same way Hollywood movies, like Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) will likely earn ₹100-150 crores from the Indian audience. It is ambitious...

The success of K.G.F: Chapter 1 and 2 was unprecedented in redefining the reach of Kannada cinema. What made these films resonate with audiences across India and the world?

The audience has to connect with the story. Any common man can relate to K.G.F’s story. Anybody can be a Rocky (Raja Krishnappa Bairya, played by actor Yash). That’s what we look for when we select stories. And when it comes to the direction and storytelling, all the credit goes to (director) Prashanth Neel who presented, edited, and narrated the story in a different way. It was the highest-budget movie at that time. A year before that, the Baahubali franchise had gone pan-India and that was our inspiration.

What are the challenges in producing films at this scale?

There will always be some issues but we have a very strong, capable and experienced team.

The directors, too, be it Prashanth or Rishab (Shetty), can handle it well. They know how to make big films — without spending too much or compromising on the quality. And we have a fantastic production team who help them; 10-12 assistant directors, associate directors, 7-8 managers. The challenge lies in selecting the story, after that,we will spend enough time in pre-production and get the budget, casting and locations in order.  Another challenge with  Kantara: Chapter 1 is that we are shooting on location only — in the middle of a forest or the top of a hill. This included one or two hours of travelling every day, for all the cast and crew members. For example, last week there were about 1,000 juniors. The main portion is being shot in the Kodachadri mountain ranges, so on top of one hill we have a palace set, and on top of another, a temple set. And we’re shooting on the road that connects them, which is very difficult to do.

How do you select the story for the next blockbuster?

We start with one-liners. If we like the line then we will get them to develop it into a full story. Then, our closed circle of 10 to 15 people sit and listen. They give a complete narration of the story and once selected, we may have some changes before they come up with the final version.

Are you planning to venture into the OTT space?

We want to start slowly. We'll start acquiring Kannada movies first, and later expand. It's in  very early  stages. As movie makers, we make films for the big screen. That's where the excitement comes in — the way the audience screams and shouts in theatres. But we will have to be in the OTT business as well. Commercially, it may not give us the kind of returns we get in the theatre business. In the latter, there is a risk — you can make two, three times the amount or nothing. OTT is safer with a fixed profit. We are in discussions with Netflix for a web series that we will announce soon. But a theatrical release still excites us more. The whole intention when we started the studio was wanting India’s billion people to come to the theatres. That experience cannot come from watching a film on a mobile phone, TV or computer. Since we started the studio 10 years ago, the number of people coming to theatres has definitely increased. K.G.F: Chapter 2 earned about ₹80 lakhs while Kantara made ₹1.1 crore, and in a span of only six months. If we come up with good movies, people will definitely come to watch them in the theatres. But it has to either be a small movie with very good content or a blockbuster of big scale and action. The mid-range films are a tricky situation.

How do you see the future of pan-Indian films evolving, and what role do you think Hombale Films will play in bringing regional cinema to the forefront?

Post the pandemic, people have started watching movies in all languages. Any good movie can become a pan-Indian movie today. To some extent, that has now reached Telugu, Tamil and Kannada cinema. Now with Prabhas, the target is to increase the audience by taking Indian movies global.

Hombale Films has also taken up social initiatives. Do you think that production houses have a responsibility to the people that they cater to?

Definitely. At the end of the day, it's the people's money we enjoy and we have to give back to society. During the pandemic, we gifted three oxygen plants to Karnataka and established a 40-bed ICU in one of the medical hospitals because there were no beds available that time.

What’s next for you?

The next exciting thing is Kantara: Chapter 1. It is shaping up very well and 40-45% of the shooting has been completed. After that we have signed Salaar 2 and K.G.F: Chapter 3 (2025).