The world was pleasantly surprised by the success of Kannada cinema's blockbusters, KGF and KGF 2. Following this, Kantara had a modest run at the pan-Indian box office. However, the industry has not had much success beyond these films. Vikrant Rona, another pan-Indian film with Kiccha Sudeep, failed to impress audiences.
Now, Kabza, another supposed pan-Indian film from Kannada cinema, is being hyped up but is being criticized for being a cheap copy of KGF, and audiences from other languages have rejected it. Consistency is key for an industry to have a strong presence at the pan-Indian box office. Kannada cinema had mild success with Kantara after the true-blue pan-Indian blockbusters KGF and KGF 2, but everything else has been a failure.
Netizens are commenting that Kannada cinema had a one-time wonder with KGF and has been on a downward spiral ever since. Kabza is the latest film to flop, further dampening spirits in the industry. Moreover, Upendra once had a special fan base among Telugu audiences with his unique films and dialogues, and many had hoped that the magic could be kindled once again, with South film goers but Kabza failed to impress.
