It is only befitting that the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema witness an overhaul of the cogs which keep the machine going, for the show must go on. Opening its doors to film-makers across the country as well as those shooting for the television and commercials, city-based Annapurna Studios Private Ltd invested `100 crore in modernising the soundstages and production facilities. The revamped facilities look at creating a modern studio business model that could withstand the boom-and-bust nature of the industry. On offer are five additional climate-controlled production floors to befit the needs of the evolving nature of technology.
“It’s both an opportunity and a challenge,” says Y Supriya, executive director of Annapurna Studios Private Ltd.
“With the studios in such a dilapidated state and the demand for shooting locations rising, we understood the need for a place where technicians and actors could come in and shoot in peace and comfort,” adds the granddaughter of veteran actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, the chairman of Annapurna Studios.
Outdoor shoots prove to be time-intensive and expensive for those working on a tight budget. “It’s getting much more difficult to shoot outside, what with police permissions and traffic control among other hitches. The present day films shoot an action sequence on the floor and add the computer graphics to it later. Action sequences are easier now because of the climate controlled environment inside,” points out actor Nagarjuna, Akkineni’s son and managing director of the Studio.
The idea
The need for a schedule to shoot without interruption is a major factor driving filmmakers to scout for alternatives which fit their schedules and outlay to see the project till the stage of benchwork.
“These new sound stages are a most timely addition to our film production landscape. Demand for film set locations is currently very strong. There has never been a better opportunity to increase our market share within the screen industry,” says Supriya.
But Annapurna’s benchmark is not Hollywood but Tollywood and Bollywood movies. They are also exploring TV commercials, serials and reality shows. “Besides Tollywood’s big budget productions, getting Bollywood directors to come and shoot in this studio is going to be a major part of our strategy,” divulges Supriya.
“We are focusing on this market and want to invest our time and effort in this,” she says adding, “The studio business is not like any other business where you look for profits alone. The studios themselves don’t make a lot of money except in the rare years where they have extraordinary success – two or three blockbusters. So on a stand-alone basis, it’s not a very good business. The movies really provide the economic foundation and much of the leverage that these companies have in terms of being able to do other businesses.”
“There is a need for integrated facility. They have to be versatile. Otherwise, my grandfather ANR wouldn’t have put in all his earnings in this once rocky terrain,” adds Supriya who understands that the face of the business counts and insists that her brother take the limelight.
The difference
So, what is the studio’s USP? “It’s not just space -- it’s the right sort of space,” opines Supriya. “There are studios, but there are not enough of the right kind of studios, in the right location. Much depends on how versatile they are and how they market their appeal to other areas such as film, channel hosting, events and the corporate sector,” she adds.
With refurbished stages and state-of-the-art post-production facilities, Annapurna aims to offer local as well as global producers a cost-effective base throughout all stages of the production process, with a full range of production services.
“The facility’s accessibility makes crew transportation cheaper and simpler, and proximity to major transit routes is convenient for on-location shooting,” reasons Supriya. As outdoor shooting is becoming more difficult, production houses are increasingly feeling the need for integrated facilities, and floors are coming back to fashion once again. Even though Nagarjuna is hopeful of attracting Hollywood, Supriya on the other hand is apprehensive about Hollywood projects. “Hollywood looks to India as less expensive. India offers Hollywood less expensive labour, junior artists and the studio rentals are also low here,” says Nagarjuna.
“It is not that we don’t want to do international projects. We have got active enquiries from Hollywood. But as a matter of fact, you can’t get the Hollywood actors to stay here for long; only till the movie is done. Besides that, obtaining shooting permission in India is no cakewalk either,” reasons Supriya.
However, Nagarjuna is still convinced that India can become an important filming location. “It’s no longer necessary to film outside. Studios are going to come back in fashion. We want to be the end-to-end provider in the entertainment space. We’ve invested about `100 crore in building this studio. It doesn’t get better than this,” says Nagarjuna.
The space
The studio began its life in 1975 as a production house and went on to make nearly 40 hit films including Geethanjali, Shiva, Criminal, Rajanna and Kedi.
The new studio, combined with its 22 acre studio, has shooting floors built alongside and is fully equipped with editing suites and digital interface facilities. The studios, which were added to the five floors already existing on the 22-acre area, are equipped with digital interface, state-of-the-art editing suits, dubbing, animation, computer graphics and colour correction facilities.
“A one-stop shop certainly helps if your film has extensive outdoor/indoor set work. You’d rather put them all up in one studio than look around for different locations,” she says.
“Instead of shootings at multiple locations, editing the shots at another location and giving the background music at yet another place, filmmakers can now do all of these at one place”, explains Nagarjuna.
Annapurna now offers a police station, a hospital, a posh house, replicas of ‘roadways’ and even a seven-acre ‘forest’.
“Film-making is a time-bound exercise and every film-maker would like to wrap up his work uninterrupted. Even stars prefer it as shooting in public places is not as safe as in a studio,” says Supriya.