The magic room is caught in the spell of lockdown
Much like the plot of a thoroughbred potboiler, the twists and turns playing out in the cinema halls in the State are as gut-wrenching as the tales of onscreen acrimony. On the one hand are the cinema hall owners doubled up after the body blow delivered by the Covid-19, while on the other are the big names revelling in the winds of change fanned by the Over The Top (OTT) platforms. But then, to borrow the cliché, there is more to it than meets the eyes, for this is only the overture to the great drama of accusations and justifications in the tinsel town.
2020 has been a roller-coaster ride minus the safety net for the film fraternity too. The empty aisles, seats and reservation counters speak a tale of deprivation that the out-of-job projection operators, parking area supervisors, and food court employees, among others, could scarcely articulate. When the producers finally decided to bite the bullet and jump on to the OTT bandwagon, it was sure to ruffle some feathers. Actor Suriya’s decision to release Ponmagal Vandhal on OTT platforms elicited a predictable retaliation from the producers, who threatened not to give opening to the actor’s future ventures.
Tamil Nadu Theatres and Multiplexes Owners Association president Tirupur M Subramaniam plots ominous figures on the theatres’ revenue graph. “A single-screen theatre owner has been incurring a loss of Rs 2 lakh per month; for a multiplex owner, the loss can be quantified at Rs 15 lakh a month,” he says. These figures represent the slump in revenue ever since the lockdown began in March.
According to him, the State has 1,112 screens – including the small and medium theatres and multiplexes and malls – of which around 700 are in small cities and villages, employing over 25,000 workers, who are now fending for themselves with pay cuts and job loss. Subramaniam says that 50-100 screens are on the verge of closure. Property tax is a raw nerve for the theatre owners, who claim that waiving the levy would help them plug a huge revenue drain in these uncertain times.
Embracing the new kid on the block (OTT) in these troubled times is likely to sour the relationship between the producers and theatre owners, Subramaniam says. “At a time when the film fraternity should support us, their decision to release films on OTT platforms is not a good business tactic. While we have not taken any decision on boycotting Suriya’s movies, the matter would be on the agenda of our association’s general body meeting...,” he points out.
T Siva, film producer of Amma Creations, who employs the husband-wife analogy to sum up the relationship between theatres and producers. “OTT is only a temporary solution. The value of theatres will spike with each passing year. However, a producer cannot sit on the new releases. If a film is not released on time, its value depreciates and producers have to shell out interest on loans for a longer duration,” he reasons.
However, veteran film director Bharathiraja minces no words when he says that artistes must have a say on the release avenue. “They (theatre owners) rake in the moolah using our materials (film). They also earn by selling online tickets, levying parking and stall fees. People come to theatres only to watch our work,” he says.
Bharathiraja’s words resonate with Siva’s assessment of the ground reality. He finds fault in theatres’ inclination towards big stars at the expense of the new talents. “Theatres do not support small-budget films. They only target big actor’s movies. Many speak about actor Suriya’s decision of releasing his film over OTT. But no one is speaking about films like Lockup, which too was released over OTT.
The reason is simple. The theatres do not want small-budget movies as they are not economically viable. They are against OTT only because they are losing big actor’s movies,” he says, posing a pertinent question: “Every year, around 225 films are released, but hardly 10 films go to OTT. How is it affecting theatres?”
(With inputs from Sabari @Salem, Aravind Raj @Karur, Jayakumar Madala @Tiruchy, Thinakaran Rajamani @Tenkasi, Lalitha Ranjani @Madurai)