Comedy vs Kabaddi this week

This Friday is an exciting time for the Kannada film industry, as two much awaited films Chamakaayisi Chindi Udaayisi and Kabaddi are up for release.

Chamakaayisi Chindi Udaayisi is directed by A R Babu and stars Komal and Mysore-based model Nidhi Subbaiah. It is a comedy.

Two songs featuring Nidhi have already become a rage in the industry. Now, the question is, will she become the new glamour diva in Kannada?

This is the first time A R Babu has made a comedy. Sreenivas -- Komal's brother-in-law -- has produced the film. It has music by Balaji, who had composed music for the hit film Masth Maja Maadi last year.

Chamakaayisi Chindi Udaayisi is an important film for Komal, as he is hugely popular as a comedy actor and has won many awards.

"I have put my heart and soul into the film. The Kannada film audience has always encouraged me. I hope their support will continue," says Komal.

Nidhi says that she not only wants to prove -- with her dare bare act -- that Kannada girls are brave but also that she is a performer.

Kabaddi was in the news sometime back when its debutant director Narendra Babu alleged that actor Kishor -- also one of the film's producers -- had passed on his script to a Tamil film director. The Tamil film in question was the beautifully made Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu in which Kishor acted as a Kabaddi coach. Despite Kishor's strong rebuttal, Babu went overboard with his allegation.

Those who have seen the sneak preview of the film feel that Narendra Babu jumped the gun by making such wild allegations against Kishor. The only similarity between the two films, it seems, is that the actor-producer plays the role of a Kabaddi coach in both the films.

The highlight of Kabaddi is that the film has many top ranking national Kabaddi players like the Arjuna Award winner B C Ramesh. Naveen, Priyanka, Dharma and Kishor are the others in the cast.

The film was shot in Mandya, the centre of Kabaddi in Karnataka.

Music director Hamsalekha, known for his deep knowledge of Kannada folk music, has composed the music. He says he was impressed by the commitment of Narendra Babu in their first meeting itself.

"A lot of people come to me to discuss about their projects but I found Babu to be different and his theatre background impressed me. He said he needed desi tunes from me. I have not seen another young director who was so well prepared with his script. I am sure Kabaddi will be a landmark film in Kannada," he said.