There was a time when cinema arrived on reel wheels; today, it streams via satellites. The struggles persisted until a few months ago, when the hard disk had to be sent to Chennai to be uploaded. 1st Day 1st Show tries to tell that story — of ambition, desperation, dreams, and digital delivery — but ends up more scattered than stirring.
Set against the backdrop of the Kannada film industry, this is a cinema-about-cinema tale. Director Rohith attempts to deliver a pan-Indian heartbeat wrapped in local truths. Jai, in the lead, embodies every filmmaker ever told they won’t make it. Laila owns the stage, Ankita Gowda keeps the anchor grounded, and even Kunigal Srinivas Rao, as the faceless executive producer, reminds us that cinema may be a business, but it’s also about soul.
Director: Girish G
Cast: Girish G, Jeevitha Vasishta, Aniruddha Sastry, Rohit Srinath, and B M Venkatesh
What begins as an ongoing identity crisis of a film eventually pivots into a thriller. The movie truly starts when a crucial hard drive containing the final cut of a film vanishes a day before release. Assistant directors Giri (Girish G) and Loki (Anirudh Sashtry) must race against time, bureaucracy, and their own pasts to recover it.
It’s a solid hook. And in moments, the film does shine. 1st Day 1st Show director Girish G tries to weave satire, social commentary, and behind-the-scenes chaos into a cohesive narrative. There are clever touches: the nod to UFO Cube’s arrival in Bengaluru, the obsession with astrology and auspicious Friday releases, and how piracy creeps in within hours of the first-day-first-show. These glimpses feel rooted and real. But here’s the catch: the film tries to say too much, too fast.
It juggles technician trauma, gender identity struggles, failed directors in flashback, press meet politics, temple rounds, suicide, and filmmaking metaphors, all in under two hours. In trying to be a commentary, a thriller, and an emotional drama all at once, it ends up tonally confused.
The aspiring heroine who transitions and ends up homeless in Chennai deserves a film of her own, not a subplot crammed between plot twists. The executive producer constantly doing mental math, the once-hopeful director haunted by failure; these are powerful characters, but the film treats them like footnotes in its rush to cover ground.
Even the film’s meta-moments — questioning why critics review films, or how titles are locked in before shooting — spark interest but are never explored deeply.
To its credit, 1st Day 1st Show does attempt to portray the underbelly of the industry, the villainy of piracy, the heartbreak of broken dreams, the unglamorous truth behind the scenes. It gives voice to a generation of filmmakers whose journeys begin on buses to Chennai and often end in silent exits. There’s heart here. There’s intent.
One line stands out: 'Cinema is like pregnancy — nine months of labour, and one Friday decides its fate.' It’s a quote that lingers. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite deliver the cinematic baby it promises. The emotions are real, the ambition is noble — but the execution still feels stuck in post-production.
In the end, it’s a film with heart but too many threads and not enough clarity. It wants to be everything: a love letter, a cautionary tale, a cinematic statement. What it becomes instead is a rough draft of a better, more focused movie.