Factors that can help in the release of a Small Movie in India
iView Author: Sethumadhavan (Chennai-Vijayawada, India)
Email: sethumadhavan.n [at] gmail.com
Factors that can help in the release of a Small Movie in India
2009 has started and this year too promises an interesting mix of small and big films whether it’s Bollywood or regional languages. For quite some time we’ve been talking about how small movies need to be promoted, how they deserve better patronage etc. And inadvertently whenever a big movie which we haven’t appreciated makes pots of money we end up thinking if only some of it could have gone to that small movie which released alongside and went unnoticed. So this write up is not to dwell upon all these, but to talk about small movies itself & how we can look at having their release improved.
Trend of Small Movies
While earlier there were the “art” films and the bigger mainstream movies, beginning in the 80’s directors like Govind Nihlani, Balu Mahendra, Padmarajan etc started making movies which were within the commercial format but not the grandiose mainstream movies. These movies then started getting acknowledged as small/middle of the road movies. In today’s scenario there is a blur as movies have come to overlap categories. So even an Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s “Naalu Pennungal” cannot be called an art film like his earlier works. Same would be with Shyam Benegal’s Welcome to Sajjanpur which is incidentally his most successful film at the Box Office. So barring exceptions movies nowadays can be slotted into either the bigger mainstream category or the smaller/middle of the road category.
Problems faced by the Small Movies
The small movies – whatever be the language, have a whole set of problems to cope up with when compared to their bigger counterparts. The problems range from difficulty to get the funding during the making, difficulty in enabling a decent release, difficulty in marketing the movie and reaching out to the target audience. Let me hereby try to focus on a fundamental issue- the theatrical release of the small movies and the associated issues. Typically a movie’s release depends on the clout of the producer and his skill in getting the movie reach across the right set of distributors and exhibitors. So for a small movie all the links in the chain become difficult to get managed.
Even if the movie is sold across all territories originally planned, the problems may continue. The distributor in turn needs to ensure that the best possible screens are blocked for the movie. How many times do we hear cases of people complaining so & so movie not releasing on time even in a Chennai or a Bangalore (in smaller cities the problem is even worse) and still keep hoping that the situation doesn’t continue in case of a small movie that you may be awaiting eagerly.
So let’s look at some of the factors that can help in the release of a small movie in India.
The Right Producer & the Right Distributor(s)
Here UTV is a very good example of being a good producer and distributor of smaller films. Last year (2008) in fact was a very good year for UTV. They were able to balance the biggies like Race or Jodha Akbar with smaller movies like Aamir & A Wednesday very well. I would cite Usha Kiron Movies also an example with their recent small telugu movie- Nacchavule. A good producer in itself makes the initial job easier. Not only is the movie’s production ensured with adequate care, but also the producer would also take the trouble of wanting the best efforts made for a good release. So either he takes the effort himself (like UTV who distributes also) or tries to get good distributors for the same. Case in point Bharathiraja’s Bommalattam (Tamil) which was lying in the cans got released finally as Insight Cinemas came forward & distributed it. There can be nothing worse than having a wrong producer or distributor to ensure that the release becomes a disaster.
Multiplexes- the boon to Small Movies
Nowadays when you watch small movies like a Hyderabad Blues, Drohkaal, Terrorist etc again don’t you sometimes feel that these movies could have done better if they were released in the multiplex era? That’s because a whole host of movies are getting made & released primarily because of the mushrooming of multiplexes. Can one imagine a Bheja Fry or a Mithya getting noticed if not for the multiplexes? The multiplexes are important because not only do they bring in the crowd which is more likely to patronage such smaller movies but also because they have a constant demand for content and such movies are able to fulfill that requirement considerably.
Innovative Conventional Theatres
Here I am referring to the good old stand alone single screens & cineplexes who even today constitute the bulk of the screens. Though multiplexes are the best forum for the small movies, there have been some of the single screens/cineplexes who have also done their bit to promote the small movies. An immediate example of the same would be the old Sangeet Cinema in Secunderabad which has enabled a lot of small movies like Hyderabad Blues, Being Cyrus, Mithya etc to reach out to the audience. Of course the management has now decided to build a multiplex in its place for re-establishing their supremacy in the twin cities.
Another example I would cite here is of Shanti Theatre complex in Chennai. Owned by the late Sivaji Ganesan’s family, it was earlier a single screen cinema hall- Shanti which was more prone to screen the bigger movies. But sometime ago the management decide to convert the balcony area into a smaller screen called Sai Shanti & this has not become convenient for a lot of smaller movies to release. So be it last year’s trendsetter- Subramaniapuram or U.T.V’s Poi Solla Porom ( remake of their Khosla Ka Ghosla) , Sai Shanti provides the right solution for these smaller movies. In fact Subramaniapuram did not manage to get screened in the prestigious multiplexes- Sathyam Cinemas & Inox in Chennai when the movie released. But seeing the success of the movie in theatres like Sai Shanti forced the 2 multiplexes to screen the movie, 4 weeks after the release, which was a unique distinction as no movie had faced a similar situation there before.
Digital Cinema
Now whether it’s a multiplex or a conventional single screen/Cineplex, Digital Cinema is here to stay. Products like Qube & UFO have revolutionized the way movie distribution & exhibition is happening. Not only is the projection as good as /better than the best of conventional projection systems, but digital cinema also enables in better distribution of movies. Ok let me explain. Conventionally all of us know a movie (film) is screened with the help of a projector which runs the film. Now the cost of a single print of a new release is usually very high & that in itself is a barricade for a lot of movies not releasing beyond a certain number of release centres earlier.
But nowadays we hear of RNBDJ, Ghajini & also the soon awaited CC2C releasing in 1200 centres in India alone which clearly means that more & more release centres have come up. Digital cinema’s role in the same is very important. Screens which have Qube or UFO do not have to play the movie on print; rather the movie is played on hard disks or through electronic transmission methods like satellite. The cost here for playing a new release is much lesser than the cost of a print normally would be. This is also the reason why a Maharathi releases in Mysore or a Dil Kabaddi releases inVijayawada along with the major cities.
Pre-release Buzz
Another difference between a big movie and a small movie lies in the fact that a big movie would usually get sold out in most territories easily on the basis of star cast, director etc whereas it wouldn’t be the case with the smaller films. This is where some kind of pre-release buzz (preferably even when the movie is being made) could help. I am not referring to the mass hysteria generated by Ghajini. I am referring to the kind of discussions online that a small movie like Dev D is generating. If some buzz is created by the time the movie is completed it will obviously be sold & hence released easily. Of course Dev D is a UTV product but probably a similar buzz could help a movie which may not have the help of a big producer/distributor like UTV who has enough width to manage the release even without any buzz.
All said & done this is just a look at the tip of the iceberg. The subject of film distribution is undergoing changes quite frequently with new developments coming up regularly. Lets hope more and more such factors emerge which would facilitate the release of small films.
Tags: Distribution, Indie, Movie Marketing
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Technically i go to a multiplex only to watch small budget movies. And i never watch larger hindi movies so i don’t give a shit and i watch all other english movies released every week in small theaters to save money.
The multiplexes need to ease out the cost a bit for cinephiles like us
Debarun- Yes I agree “multiplexes need to ease out the cost a bit for cinephiles like us”. In fact there can be some kind of a railway season ticket kind of concept for the multiplexes too.Lets say one ticket costs Rs.200, you get a booklet with say 6 tickets @ 1000 ( so 1 free with 5 ).I think the concept does exist abroad.Not sure why it hasnt been started yet in India.
How do you define a big film or a small film?
For instance – how would you categorise a JTYJN?
@kic: IMHO the moment u take away a r rehman & aamir khan from jaane tu, it becomes a small film.
@ Sethu: Jay Ho Multiplex culture!
Magik – I beg to disagree, the publicity and the release decides a small film, therefore JTYJN was a big film. No smoking, IMO, suffered because it was not marketed as a small film.
@ Anand: i specifikally wrote – take away a r rehman & aamir khan from jaane tu, it becomes a small film.
aamir khan happens to be the PRODUCER of jaane tu. If it wasnt for a r rehman & aamir khan, jaane tu wud not have got half the audience.
Kic,Magik&Anand-
A movie is either small or big depending on factors like budget of the movie
( production+marketing), the distribution & the names associated with the project.Keeping these things in mind certainly JTYJN is not a small movie.
Anand- I dont know if you’v noticed but remember I was promising you a write-up some time back when we were discussing the release of small movies in Chennai?well this is the one dude!!!
first of all it felt odd to read the word small films…. you could have mentioned it as a small budgeted, or low budgeted film. and it leaves an impression you are talking about short films. well…some of the films that you have mentioned are well known ones….and people who had seen the films would certainly post against, calling them small films.
Sorry for posting this here.. but has anyone seen the movie ‘The President Is Coming’..? I have seen zero mention of it on PFC !!
@Sethumadhavan [pt#3]: such a concept already exists in US where we could buy pass for a week/month at a much cheaper rate. or get a card, accumulate points and get to watch a movie free etc. i think the multiplex audeince should be given some concession and incentive for watching movies at such high prices. ghajini was ticketed at Rs.350/- in pvr, blore and it was just the normal one not gold class or europa; isn’t that hitting through the roof. no wonder the movie has grossed 160+ crores at home
oops, was referring to pt#2 and not pt#3
Rals@ 12,13 Yes I know the concept exists in the U.S – thats why I said it exists abroad & wondered why no one has introduced it here in India.With the kind of cinephiles that exist in India the concept would do very well.
Cassandra- Let me answer your query as anyways this article of mine is on small movies – a category to which The President is Coming belongs to.The movie is a faithful adaptation of the play of the same name on which its based.Tha cast except Konkana Sen & Shernaz Patel is the same from the play.I appreciate Rohan Sippy for supporting this project while also producing a biggie like CC2C.
Vijayakumar@ 10-
Please read my comment # 8- its not the budget alone which determines if the movie is small or not.There are other factors too.
And why would anyone post anything against me for writing on any of the movies mentioned by me.Popularity has nothing to do with a movie being small or big.Today A Wednesday or Aamir is very popular & same is the case with an Ashta Chemma or a Subramiapuram.That doesnt take away the fact that these are basically small movies.
I think you are confusing the word “small” here.I am not talking about movies being popular or not, or if they are successful or not.A movie can be popular & successful irrespective of whether its small or big.I hope you’d agree with this statement atleast.
but there is movie like aashayien which struggling to release because producers have backed off from releasing film saying that it is not profitable enough.
Aman- good point.I am surprised as to how somebody can produce a movie & then wash off their hands.I mean couldnt they decide in the very first place if they were worried about the viability?Dont know much about Aashayein but from what I’ve heard both John Abraham & Nagesh Kukunoor have been feeling extremely let down with what has happened.
Sethu – I have noticed and it is a well written post!
great article and have put all the stuff we have discussed.