Chitraloka.com is an Indian online portal for the Kannada film industry. The website was launched on 3 July 1999 by K. M. Veeresh,[1] and it was the first website to be solely focused on Kannada cinema. The website is available both in English and Kannada.[2] This website and Viggy.com were the only two websites that gave frequent updates regarding Kannada cinema in the first half of the early 2000s.[3]

Chitraloka.com
FoundedJuly 3, 1999; 24 years ago (1999-07-03)
FounderK. M. Veeresh
Websitechitraloka.com

History edit

While on vacation in Singapore, photographer and journalist K. M. Veeresh realised that he could not get regular updates on Kannada cinema easily and had to call his friends to be up to date. After getting a PC, he decided to start his own website for news pertaining to Kannada cinema with the target audience primarily being Kannadigas overseas in the Gulf and the United States. Veeresh found it tough to get software to run the website in Kannada. The website was launched in 1999 with Parvathamma Rajkumar in attendance.[4][2] On the day of launch, the website received 13,664 hits.[5] After the launch of the website, it was run as a one-man show with Veeresh running the website of his own money and gets help when needed from his journalist friends.[2] One year after launch, the Veeresh reported about the kidnapping of Rajkumar in full detail on the website.[6] The website was updated once every fifteen days at that time, but as of 2009, it is updated frequently.[4] In 2009, the website entered the Limca Book of Records for showcasing three-thousand stills of Kannada films from Sati Sulochana (1935) and Namyajamanru (2009).[7] In 2020, the YouTube channel for the website received the Silver Creator Award and is one of the only Kannada-language channels to do so.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ mahesh (1 July 2014). "ಚಿತ್ರಲೋಕ 15ರ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ, ಮರಕಿಣಿ ಟಚ್ ಸ್ಕ್ರೀನ್ ರಿಲೀಸ್ [Chitraloka 15th Celebration, Marakini Touch Screen Release]". Oneindia (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Riti, M. D. (1 July 2000). "Kannada film industry goes online". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Shivu Adda: Promoting Kannada films since a decade". NewsKarnataka.com. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Sandalwood in web maze". Bangalore Mirror. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ^ ಎಸ್ಕೆ.ಶಾಮಸುಂದರ (10 July 2013). "ಮೂರನೇ ಕ್ಯಾಂಡಲ್‌ ಬೆಳಕಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿತ್ರಲೋಕ ! [Chitraloka in the light of the third candle!]". Filmibeat (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  6. ^ "ರಾಜ್‌ಕುಮಾರ್ ಅಪಹರಣದ ರೋಚಕ ಕಥೆ;ಅಂತೆ ಕಂತೆಗಳಿಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ತೆರೆ ಬೀಳಲಿದೆ! [The exciting story of Rajkumar's kidnapping; all the scandals will be exposed!]". Asianet News (in Kannada). 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Bangalore: Chitraloka.com Website Enters Limca Book of Records Again". Daijiworld Media. 1 December 2009. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  8. ^ Nagaraja (2 December 2020). "'ಚಿತ್ರ ಲೋಕ' ಗೆ ಯು ಟ್ಯೂಬ್ ಸಿಲ್ವರ್ ಕ್ರಿಯೇಟರ್ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ [YouTube Silver Creator Award for 'Chitraloka']". Kannada Prabha (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.