It was an evening that would be emblazoned in the history of Indian cinema in general and Tamil cinema in particular. With veteran director P Bharathiraja, actor-director Ameer Sultan and Seeman, who dons the roles of a director, actor, politician and orator addressing the audience, it was an evening to remember. The occasion was the launch of director Cheran’s new concept C2H (Cinema to Home) at Kamarajar Arangam on Monday.
The concept aims at preventing and controlling piracy that has crept in Indian cinema, thereby providing a viable solution for the same.
Cheran said that the concept would take care of illegal distributors and provide an alternative. “Lot of youngsters will be part of the C2H team. I have spoken to more than 6,000 distributors and a good number of dealers. They have agreed to co-operate. The concept is very simple. As soon as a movie releases, our team will release a CD on the same day and go about distributing it. When that happens, it is automatically made sure that the director gets his due and his hardwork doesn’t go waste,” he explained.
The filmmaker received compliments from across the film fraternity for coming up with the innovative idea.
The event began with a laser show depicting how Indian cinema had undergone gargantuan changes over the past couple of years. It was followed by an audio-visual that described why people preferred watching a movie on the Internet or a CD at home.
“The reasons for people preferring to watch a film on TV to going to the theatre are many. Budget constraints, lack of time, changes in lifestyle coupled with technological developments have ensured that not all can go to theatres,” he said.
Refuting the belief that the move was against the theatres, Cheran added, “The move isn’t against the theatres. CDs are in operation even now, but illegally. I’m just taking the legal way,” and added, “The move is especially for young directors who need to get paid for the hard work they put in.”
Directors who spoke on the occasion said that the new notion was indeed a big step forward in the field of Indian cinema and that the concept would definitely help the directors, especially new directors who can’t always afford to release the movie in theatres. Kamal Haasan, who couldn’t make it to the launch, conveyed his best wishes through a video message. “I am very sure that this concept would be a success,” he said. Trailers of upcoming flicks JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai, Mega, Sivappu Enakku Pidikkum, Appavin Meesai and Velmuruga were shown at the event.