The number of re-releases of old, popular movies has increased in the last year or so. Many of these films have been shown in theatres for extended periods, and some have been re-released multiple times. The Kannada movie Om has been re-released more than 550 times since it was released in 1995, and now it’s set to be re-released again on May 26, the day of Dr Ambareesh’s birthday. Another super-hit movie, Antha, was released in 1981 and was a big inspiration for many filmmakers. It was based on a story written by HK Anantra Rao and directed by S. Rajendra Sing Babu.
The film was released in 1981 and starred Ambareesh, Lakshmi, Latha, Jayamala, Pandari Bai, Vajramuni, and Tiger Prabhakar among others. Before Antha, Ambareesh had only acted in one film as a hero. It was a completely new subject and hence a huge risk at the time. The entire team worked hard during the making of the film, which led to its iconic status after its huge success.
The director of Antha said on the re-release that the movie inspired many other filmmakers to choose such bold subjects. “It inspired over 2,000 films and was featured in Variety magazine,” he said. “Besides creating a milestone in the Sandalwood industry, Antha also made a mark in the Indian film industry,” he added.
The film was remade in other languages as well. It was released in 1981 in Telugu under the title of Antham Kadidi Aarambam, in 1982 in Tamil under the title of Thyagi, and in Hindi under the title of Meri Aawaz Suno.
The film faced a lot of controversies before it was released. One of the reasons was that the CBFC did not give it a certificate of U/A at first. It was said that the movie had a lot of violence in it. However, the director did not give up on the project. He filed a case in court and later released the film.
Besides, the birthday celebrations of late actors have become a platform for producers to re-release old classics with new technology.
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