EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood Rakes In The Moolah Against A Divided Indian Film Industry
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Thursday, 9th April 2015, 1:36 PM IST One major thing which is not there in Indian film industry is unity. Recently, it was announced that a law will be enacted that every multiplex in Maharashtra has to compulsorily show a Marathi film in prime time 6 pm slot as most of the Marathi films are shown in matinee shows because of which they don’t get much attention. And now, this rule has divided the industry. Riteish Deshmukh, who recently made his Marathi film debut with ‘Lai Bhaari’, stated, "Cinema in every language should survive. I strongly believe every type of cinema should be protected, rather cultivated better. It's not a fight between Hindi and Marathi cinema. We live in one country." National Award-winning Marathi filmmaker, Ravi Jadhav, said, “On an average, at least two Marathi films release every week but they are lost in morning shows. With prime-time visibility guaranteed, Marathi filmmakers will be motivated to make better cinema. Our films have always been family friendly and now we're finally getting our due." While there were people who were happy with the rule, there were a few who were against it. Producer Mukesh Bhatt said, "Did the government consult the multiplex owners who are running a private business before deciding to enact this law? You can't just wake up one day and tell me how to go about doing business. We're all here to help each other out but such decisions should be made after taking stakeholders into confidence." Exhibitor-distributor Vinay Choksey, said, "Now, they have come up with a new law for multiplexes. But the fact is that the audience for Marathi films is more in the 12 noon and 3 pm slots. The 6 pm to 9pm is a weaker slot and I don't see it making any appreciable difference." However, Rishi Kapoor had a diplomatic point of view. He tweeted, “Today theatre rentals so high difficult for weak films to survive irrespective of language. Case in point F&F7. Open field, anyone welcome. You cannot thrust anything on anyone zabardasti. If it is good it will survive otherwise.. Cinema is also a business. Big monies involved... Ritesh Deshmukhs film in Marathi was a super hit. So were others. So welcome all. We are all equal here in cinema. May the best win!" It is also said that after the National Anthem, a Dadasaheb Phalke song will be played. Well, these kinds of different responses to the rule clearly showcases that the Indian film industry is divided. And because of it Hollywood films perform well in India more than the Indian films irrespective of a Bollywood film or a Marathi flick. The recent example of “Hollywood film padi Bollywood pe bhaari” is ‘Fast & Furious 7’ and ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’. The collection of ‘F & F 7’ is more than Rs. 50 cr in just five days and an amazing film like ‘DBB’ has only collected around Rs. 15 cr in four days. Now we have Hollywood big release like ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (24th April) and ‘Jurassic World’ (12th June). With these two films, we have Bollywood movies like ‘Solid Patels’ (24th April) and ‘Hamaari Adhuri Kahaani’ (12th June) hitting the screens. So, we hope ‘Fast & Furious 7’ and ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’ scenario is not repeated. There will be 'Star Wars' in December and many more mighty Hollywood releases on big scale this year. Well, our main point is that Indian film industry should stand united and not fight with each other for the number of screens. Instead, they should unite and think about how to emerge victorious against Hollywood films in India. There should be a limit on amount of screens or shows a Hollywood film will get somewhat on the lines of China. There can be another alternate method but allowing Hollywood films to take over and keep fighting over smaller regional industry is a joke and height of immaturity. Now you can enjoy ad-free experience by downloading India’s first Box Office mobile app from here –Android: http://bit.ly/BOCapsuleMobileApp and iOS: bit.ly/BOCapsuleiOSApp | ||||
