Stop worrying about who's getting the bigger share, first ensure you have something to share

In case you haven’t noticed, films have been off the shelf for a couple of weeks now. The producers are demanding bigger cuts from the Multiplex owners who are not willing to budge because they say they have their own basket of woes. “Akshay Kumar’s last release TASVEER 8x10 took a 25 to 40 percent initial. His earlier film CHANDNI CHAUK TO CHINA was marginally better. Shah Rukh Khan’s RAB NE…and BILLOO BARBER’s collections were below expectation. Abhishek Bachchan’s DRONA and DELHI 6 flopped! They have some gall asking for bigger cuts! Arre get the audience in first!” Harsh words! But the same rule goes for the producer isn’t it! A flop hurts him as much as it hurts the theatre owner.

So now the Multiplex owners have decided that as soon as the producers lift their ban and start releasing their movies, they will clamp their own ban by shutting their gates for Hindi films indefinitely! English and regional cinema is keeping their seats and samosas hot! Apparently both FAST AND FURIOUS (English) and MEE SHIVAJI RAJE BOLTO AI (Marathi) have done better business then TASVEER. Or so the reports say.

I think we need to get our house in order first. We can’t manufacture and distribute damaged goods and also haggle over them ourselves! The producers and multiplex owners can battle it out till cows come home but the fact of the matter is that they cannot convert their losses into gains unless they make watchable films – with or without the stars!

You spent millions on your film? You have the biggest stars? You have points to prove to your opponents? Totally not our problem! The audience doesn’t care! The shut auditoriums aren’t bothering them too much, “because you can’t miss bad films.” I was talking to a couple of my friends and acquaintances, film buffs mostly, and their response had me worried “Na rahega baans, naa bajegi baansoori,” said one of them. “One film costs my family at least 2 to 3 thousand rupees a week. Nobody watches a movie alone. We are 5 in our family and sometimes friends join in, then popcorn and samosas and ice creams, petrol…and 3 to 4 times a month. That’s 8 to 10 grand monthly! Almost a hundred thousand in a year! And most of the films are disappointing. Imagine the money I’m saving. I can easily watch the film when it comes on television or on DVD. Better to utilise the money in something more productive. The chance that you’ll get your money’s worth is 1 is to 100. I have started reading books and I think that’s far more fulfilling. One good film is not worth 320 bad ones!”

Na rahega baans, na bajegi baansoori! That sounds ominous! I suggest the sooner they resolve this matter the better it might be for the parties concerned. What if by the time the producers and multiplex owners decide to open shop, the audience decides to go on a strike! Humari maange poori karo! Give us good films! Down with bad films!

So guys here’s some advice if it holds any water for anyone. Instead of worrying about who’s getting the larger share, first ensure you have something to share. What you call collection, is at the end of the day, the audience’s hard earned money. What about bettering their compensation first?