On a Monday afternoon (June 23, 2026), several shows in Bengaluru were filling fast for the Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer Maa Inti Bangaaram. It’s an action comedy, with Samantha elevating the frame with every punch, chase, and stunt. This kind of response on the first weekday after the opening weekend is something any Kannada hero would give his right arm for.
Fans of the late Sandalwood superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, during the release of his last Kannada movie ‘Gandhada Gudi’, in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Fans are praising Samantha as the “Lady Superstar.” The Telugu filmis reported to have crossed ₹50 crore at the worldwide box office. The question of why Kannada has fewer female-led movies has no clear answer, as the industry continues to underutilise several gifted female performers.‘Macho protagonists’“I see fewer stories from a woman’s perspective in Kannada. I continue to see macho protagonists,” actor-politician Ramya, a bankable star in the 2000s, had often expressed her concern.Malashree, who entertained a generation with her action-oriented role, will be seen in a movie also starring Rukmini Vasanth, the latest sensation in Indian cinema. The movie, bankrolled by KVN Productions, the makers of Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, could be a relief from the “hyper masculine” stories in the Kannada film industry.While we wait for the emergence of strong female-led films in Kannada, the last couple of months have reiterated an even more basic dark truth: local audiences have become far more receptive to stars from neighbouring industries. For example, Peddi, starring Ram Charan, released on June 5, 2026, went on to become a blockbuster, with impressive performance in Bengaluru.
