When the whole of India is still trying to cope with the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Sandalwood is “Modi-fying” its style of functioning. There are a few who are grumbling under their breath about this “insensitive” move. But, on the whole, the Kannada filmdom has welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision and is slowly working with and around it. City Express spoke to producers, distributors and directors to know how they are keeping their schedule.
Chakravarthy Keeps its Stride
The ban has not stopped some producers. Chakravarthy starring Darshan is in the last leg of its shoot in Mysuru and producer Annaji Nagaraj has set a revised plan. “Those who have ID proofs from the union are taking the old notes and getting them exchanged at the banks,” he says, “and we are issuing cheques to those who have a bank account. For those without any documents, we ensure that they get the daily bata, which are mostly in 100s. The show must go on,” he says.
“This is not in my hands. Even workers are abiding by the law and cooperating. Ultimately what they require is payment for their work, which we ensure from our end.” Annaji says.
‘Surgical Strike’ in Sandalwood
It has been a ‘surgical strike’ at the recently released films Santhu Straight Forward and Mukunda Murari. Distributor Jack Manju, who had taken up the distribution of the latter, says, “My entire strategy has been affected. We were once happy, sure of a good business, but now we will end up with no profit or even a loss. From November 9, people have not spared a glance at theatres because they have their own problems to sort out at home. They have forgotten cinema. What has happened to the whole of country, has happened to us too. All said and done, for a better India, we have to face these difficulties. Of course, without a doubt, this has hit the movie business hard.”
Tagaru Opts for Online and Weekly Payments
KP Srikanth, the producer of Suri’s directorial Tagaru, is all set to start shoot from November 18 and says that he has chalked out a plan. “We have been issuing cheques to the concerned heads of various departments. We usually pay the production unit, costumes department, catering and so on daily wages but now we will pay them every week. We have asked the respective section heads to take care of people working under them. We can’t change the law, but adapt to it. Of course, it will take at least four months for the industry to settle, but we welcome the decision,” says Srikanth.
Nataraja Service to AcceptRs 500 and Rs 1,000 Notes
The makers of Nataraja Service and Badmaash will test waters by releasing the film this week. Jack Manju, who is in consultation with the producer of Badmaash, has decided to release the movies in fewer screens (one-tenth the number as originally planned). On the other end, producer NS Rajkumar of Nataraja Service has decided to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 rupee notes at theatres and they plan to do so till November 30. Producer Rajkumar says, “This is a collective decision taken by the team in consultation with the distributor and exhibitor.” He further adds, “Our daily activities were not affected by the demonetisation. We have to abide by the new law and follow rules and regulations. We can’t keep giving excuses and so I’ve decided to take a big step with Nataraja Service.”
Reality Check before Release
A few producers have decided to postpone release of their films, among them is John Jani Janardhan. The movie release was initially slated for November 11 and now it has been pushed to December 9. Makers of Naanu Mattu Varalakshmi and Pusphaka Vimana, who had planned to bring out the movies on November 25 and December 2 respectively, have decided to wait and watch. Director Preetham, says, “The Prime Minister’s decision has caused a lot of confusion. When we go out, we see long queues at banks but not a single person is at the theatres. We’ve decided it is best to wait.” Vikyath, one of the producers of Pushpaka Vimana, says that they should give people time to get their lives in order. “We can’t think only about our film, it is a matter of people’s daily lives and we can’t expect them at theatres. We will wait for a week, see how people cope and then decide on our next step.”
Industry View
Modi’s impact on Sandalwood will be that every spend on filmmaking will now be accounted for and only hard work will pay. Whether it is viable for big-budget films on not, this move is good because it will temper the quality and quantity of movies being made.