Sandalwood at a glimpse in 2017

While there was the reinstating of the big budget films on one side, there also was the celebration of the new and the path less travelled. This year saw many reasons to cheer. Here's highlighting some of the noteworthy trends that stood out in 2017...

Multistarrers galore
This year saw many films with many actors and multiple storylines. Chowka, Happy New Year, Kaafi Thota and Dayavittu Gamanisi are among the few that left an impression. Even some of the big starcast films like Mass Leader and Mufti saw many known faces playing important characters in the narrative. If this is to go by, 2018 might just see more interesting collaborations for multistarrers.

Horror films linger on
Ever since the past five years, Sandalwood seems to have taken a fancy to horror and thriller as a genre. 2017 saw many horror films release, some shoddy and some good, but there were enough to create a buzz. Among those that won critical or commercial fame are Aake, Kataka and Vaira.

Thithi

actors still in demand
The duo of Century Gowda and Gaddappa from Thithi had as many as four releases this year. Most of their films were loaded with double entendres and slightly adult-ish content, which had some even getting the A certificate. Irrespective of what the outcome of their films are, they seem to be creating a niche for themselves.

Industry kids and new talent
This year saw the introduction and re-launch of many new faces, some of who have gained popularity and fanfare. V Ravichandran's son Manoranjan had a celebrated debut. BC Patil's daughter Srushti made her debut with as part of the ensemble cast of Happy New Year. Actors like Rishi and Balu Nagendra saw a second lease to their careers with good relaunch vehicles. Raj B Shetty from Ondu Motteya Kathe is the other stand-out performer of the year.

New directors to the fore
From commercial potboilers to critically acclaimed films, there was new talent wielding the megaphones in many of the releases in 2017. Be it Pannaga Bharana making his debut with Happy New Year, Narthan with his critically and commercially acclaimed Mufti, likewise with

Tharun Sudhir

's Chowka, Rohit Padaki with Dayavittu Gamanisi, Adarsh H Eashwarappa with Shuddhi or Raj B Shetty with Ondu Motteya Kathe, each of these stories were well received.

Dubbing makes its slow entry
The biggest taboo word in Karnataka, dubbed films in

Kannada

, became a reality. From little known films to Tamil actor Ajith's hit films, there were a few films that were dubbed in Kannada, which was met with mixed response. But, this means that 2018 will only see more dubbed films, insiders say.

Big stars score
While new talent and atypical efforts are always meant to be lauded, it is always a good year for cinema only when the heavily invested films of big stars bring in returns. 2017 saw a bigger amount of big star films do better at the box office, be it Sudeep's Hebbuli, Puneeth Rajkumar's Raajakumara, Dhruva Sarja's Bharjari, Darshan's Tarak or Shivarajkumar and Sriimurali's Mufti, all of them had eager audiences ensuring full houses.

Remakes continue
The remake v/s original script debate continues, but 2017 had many remakes hitting the big screens. From Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films to even Punjabi and Korean ones, people sought to retell many stories. Among those that left a mark were Aake, Siliconn City, Raj Vishnu, Satya Harishchandra, Upendra Matte Baa and Anjaniputhraa.

New narrative techniques
What was the most welcoming trend of the year was how filmmakers decided to break the conventional narrative style. Adarsh H Eashwarappa chose to narrate his critically acclaimed Shuddhi using two parallel timeline tales featuring the same people, which is only tied up in the end. Rohit Padaki chose to divide the multiple tales of his debut film Dayavittu Gamanisi in four different chapters, with a common thread tying them up in the end. Tharun Sudhir decided to use one common friend, who plays catalyst in the lives of his four different friends who are in jail whose stories are told separately, which proved to be a clincher.

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