Kannada films didn’t have the nationwide profile in the Indian entertainment scene it enjoys today, and that changed this year with two pan-India superhits produced by Hombale Films. First came K.G.F: Chapter 2, which was a runaway success and has turned ‘Rocking Star’ Yash into a national treasure. Not only is K.G.F.: Chapter 2 the fourth highest-grossing film ever, but the Hindi version had a record opening day collection of Rs. 54 crore. Then came the unprecedented Kantara, which began its life as a mid-budget Kannada film and has gone on to make more than Rs. 100 crore at the box office. With these two films, Hombale Films have collected over Rs. 2,000 crore in 2022. This production house’s projects may be rooted in Karnataka, but their success shows authentically local films can have universal appeal.