It so occurs that when a movie succeeds, a few clones make their trail to the screens in the forthcoming years. It is a natural trend in the movie industry, and in Sandalwood too, there have been some fine examples.
In this article, we concentrate on such movies. While they were pacesetters in their own ways, most importantly, these films set down a formulaic template that favored industry colleagues to fill their content within.
Om
Om can as well be called the father of underworld movies in KFI. Apart from this distinction, the Upendra directorial was the film that gave the confidence for mainstream filmmakers to delve into non-linear screenplay structure.
Mungaru Male
While a guy falling in love with a girl who is about to get married is a common one-liner, Mungaru Male stood apart because of its intelligent climax. This entire structure was an inspiration for many short-budget movies in the biz.
Jogi
Jogi does fall into the genre of Om but the idea of mother-sentiment within an underworld story got a massive boost with the Prem directorial. We sure can guarantee that almost every underworld movie that followed had a mother-sentiment angle to it.
A
The concept of pop-philosophy in KFI was started by Upendra. His initial films were prime examples of the same, and as we are well aware, hundreds have tried to take the same route ever since. However, none have been successful so far in coming close to the legend.
Mandya
While there have been similar movies in the past, Mandya sort of became a template for upcoming heroes who were in search of mass-stardom. Of course, the plot points of Mandya were repeated in many other films.
Lucia
Lucia was a trendsetter in capital letters, but in terms of treatment and story structure, this film set aside a novel template in Sandalwood. The neo-noir style inspired many, while psychological thrillers later on always had a hint of Lucia in them.
Dandupalya
Although true stories till then mostly revolved around love stories and dramas, Dandupalya broke the trend with an absolute A-rated offering. Actually, a certain section of the audience took a liking to it, and tada, we saw many similar flicks arrive on the screen.
Rangitaranga
It was at that time that Sandalwood was in dire need of a hit. Rangitaranga provided it, and along with that also gave a perfect formula for the Kannada filmmakers. The massive twist in the final act, scary usage of sound, and the idea of mythology and culture in horror were all fresh concepts then.
Kalpana
Although a remake, Kalpana became a definitive template for the horror-comedy enthusiasts in the industry. Almost every aspect of this film was taken in the book for carving out a movie of this genre.
Adhyaksha
While the Mandya slang and double-entendre jokes were already there, it was Adhyaksha that set forth the trend. In the coming years, many films came in this sub-genre and worked out a market of their own. A recent example in this template is the sleeper hit Ayogya.
