Popular characters that inspired superhit film series in Kannada

The James Bond of India

It was none other than the Kannada film industry that featured the first-ever full-fledged James Bond-styled spy thriller feature film in India.

A poster of ‘Jedara Bale’. (Supplied)

Directed by Dorai-Bhagavan, Dr Rajkumar made his debut as Prakash, most popularly known by his spy identification number CID-999, in Jedara Bale which was released in 1968. It was an instant success which ran to full houses for several months.

Its immense popularity coupled with box office success led to the CID-999 franchise continuing for at least a decade. Dr Rajkumar also came to be known as the “James Bond of India”.

This was followed by Goa Dalli CID 999 and Operation Jackpot Nalli CID 999 before the last part — Operation Diamond Racket released in 1978. Though there were plans for the fifth Operation Golden Gang, it never took off.

Bollywood actress Rekha debuted as a bond girl (in a lead role) with Operation Jackpot Nalli CID 999.

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The police story

After the Bond franchise, it was only in 1998 that the superhit film Sangliana — starring versatile actor-filmmaker Shankar Nag — fell into the character-based movie series category.

A poster of ‘Sangliana Part 2’. (Supplied)

Directed by P Nanjundappa, the film is loosely inspired by the life story of cop-turned-politician SP Sangliana. Its popularity led to the sequel in 1990 — SP Sangliana Part 2.

That’s not all! After the demise of Shankar Nag, the popular two-part film was made for the third time, seven years later in 1997. Actor Devraj, who played the antagonist in the second part, donned the role of protagonist in SP Sangliana Part 3.

This resulted in becoming the only second character-based film series to be made into a trilogy after CID 999-based Bond films in Kannada.

The two-part comedy

A poster of ‘Golmaal Radhakrishna Part 2;. (Supplied)

In 1990, director Om Sai Prakash who is credited with more than 104 films in his career, made one of the iconic comedy films in Kannada titled Golmaal Radhakrishna.

It featured renowned actor Anant Nag as Radhakrishna. The film was a remake of the Telugu film Chalaki Mogudu Chadastapu Pellam (1989).

The Kannada audience loved it so much that the makers released a sequel — Golmaal Radhakrishna Part 2 — in 1991.

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‘Made only for popularity’

Director Om Sai Prakash revealed that he never planned the second part of Golmaal Radhakrishna but its immense popularity led him to experiment but only after he came up with a sensible script that could justify it.

Dr Rajkumar with actress Rekha in ‘Operation Jackpot Nalli CID 999’. (Supplied)

“I did it because there was a need for it. Well, the audience’s loved the character. In the present day, it is all about business and this mindset turned the character into more like a TV serial with every part losing its sheen,” he told South First.

On the work front, Om Sai Prakash is busy with the script work for his most ambitious film ever on the life of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

“The devotees of Sathya Sai Baba from across 180-plus countries are eagerly waiting for the project — Sathya Sai Avatar. It will be a pan-Indian film with actors from multiple languages. We are planning to release it in 2025 which marks the centenary of Baba,” he added.

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Salaam Rocky Bhai

Even before the KGF series made under the Hombale Films banner hit the screens, several sequels in Kannada did hit the theatres but they hardly had any connection with the characters or the original plot.

A poster of ‘KGF: Chapter 3’. (Supplied)

The sequels were made mostly to encash the popularity of the movie. For example, the evergreen hit film Samyukta starring Dr Shiva Rajkumar had no connection whatsoever with that of Samyukta 2 released in 2017 but for its title similarities.

Director Shashank, who directed Mungaru Male 2, said: “I happen to direct Mungaru Male 2 which has no connection with the blockbuster Mungaru Male. Most of “part 2” films are made with business in mind, which is not wrong in any way. The trend is rising, especially after the pandemic, and its long-time effect on the industry,” he told South First.

He noted that doing a second part of the trilogy based on the character that has gained immense popularity increases the chance of its success rate.

“It is like starting the second innings with 50 runs already scored. However, attempting a sequel to a disastrous first part is like starting from the negative. But it’s still a gamble as the film industry is an unpredictable one.”

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More in the pipeline

A poster of ‘Kantara 2’. (Supplied)

Written and directed by Darling Krishna, Love Mocktail (2020) and Love Mocktail 2 (2022) are character-based series and the latest is Shivaji Surathkal 2.

Films like Drishya (2014) and Drishya 2 (2021) were remakes of the Malayalam blockbuster flicks Drishyam (2013) and Drishyam 2 (2021) starring Mohanlal.

Now, Sandalwood is eagerly waiting for the release of Kantara 2, Kabzaa 2, KGF 3, Love Mocktail 3, and Bhairathi Ranagal (a prequel to Mufti).