Too many films are releasing at once, resulting in none of them realising their potential. There were as many as 19 releases in just January, out of which only three films— Rajini Murugan , Aranmanai 2 and Irudhi Suttru— turned out to be hits. Veteran producers agree this isn’t healthy for the industry. Says producer P. L. Thenappan, “When many films release at once, audiences react indifferently. There is little awareness about these films, and this results in many of them being unable to sell their satellite rights.”
A Kollywood insider believes that the increase in the production of films is due to the sudden entry of a lot of first-time producers. As many of these newcomers aren’t aware of the financial risks involved, stars and directors are able to utilise their resources in a way that they cannot of veteran producers. There are so many small-budget films releasing; many of them not even getting reviewed. Mainstream newspapers and the hundreds of internet sites are doing exactly what The New York Times did when there was a glut of Hollywood independent films: they just stopped reviewing them.
At the same time, the supreme body of producers—Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC)—is contemplating taking some action to stem the flow of new releases. But a former TFPC member doesn’t think it will be effective. “It is simply not possible to bring new directives in order to reduce the number of releases, as TFPC gets its support from many small-time producers.”
Six Tamil films released last Friday: Bangalore Naatkal , Visaranai,Saahasam , Sethu Boomi , Naalai Muthal Kudikka Maaten and Irandu Manam Vendum . A total of 20 films are ready for release this month, indicating that this phenomenon doesn’t look likely to stop in the near future.
Says PVP Cinema’s Rajeev Kamineni, “We had locked the release date of Bangalore Naatkal a month ago, and were on schedule with our promotional campaign. I think it is a good date for feel-good family entertainers. As for competition, it is all part of the industry. Once we’ve decided a release date, we cannot change it. Other films we have coming up are Thozha (Easter Weekend) and Mahesh Babu’s bilingual, Brahmotsavam ( April).”
Meanwhile, influential producers and distributors have their eyes set on important release dates, like the Valentine’s day weekend, for example.
Exhibitor and distributor Tirupur Subramaniam says, “A release date is crucial for the success of a film. Take, for example, Rajini Murugan . It made so much money because it was released during Pongal . The genre must also be very relevant. That’s why the other films that released during Pongal didn’t fare well.”
All eyes are now on Jayam Ravi’s Miruthan , promoted as Tamil cinema’s first zombie-horror thriller, which is planned for release this Friday.
Producers K. E. Gnanavelraja and C. V. Kumar, along with their distributor Abi & Abi’s Abhinesh Elangovan, too were keen to release romanic comedy Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum on the Valentine's Day weekend but the film was re-scheduled at the last minute.
Mahesh of Auraa Cinemas, meanwhile, will be releasing his Anjala along with the aforementioned films. “The life of any film today is just a week. Anjala is a family entertainer; we have also got tax exemption, and therefore, I’m going ahead with the release.”
Who actually decides the release date of a film in Kollywood? It partly depends on the star and the producer, but the decisive factor is the clout of the company that releases the film.
A leading exhibitor says, “We are looking at distributors who are able to constantly feed us good commercial content, to keep our business going. We are happy to give them primetime showcasing of such films on our screens, and for better terms and conditions. If the films are tax-exempted, they will be given special preference.” You can see why directors and producers seem so desperate for tax-exemption.
