Just six months into the year, the Tamil film industry has already witnessed the release of 100 films, translating to an average of four new releases every weekend. Add to this the competition from Hollywood, Bollywood, and content from neighbouring states, and it is only natural that most of the smaller films in Tamil go unnoticed. Given the present distribution and exhibition mechanism in the state, is it viable to make a small-budget film, without stars and a huge marketing budget?
“The process of getting a film released is very discouraging,” says Karthik Ravi, director of the state’s first crowd-funded film, Kurai Ondrum Illai . The film, which talks about the urban youth heading to villages for a better future, was allotted just 20 shows in Chennai. “Our film was made on a budget of Rs. 90 lakh, but we realised we would need at least twice that amount to market it to theatres and distributors. Films without stars require vigorous marketing. If you fail to find a distributor, then distributing your film yourself is another tedious process and it is almost impossible to get good theatres with prime time slots.”
G. Venkatraman, producer of Sutrula , released the film a week after the release of Lingaa. He says, “Three to four years ago, a maximum of two Tamil films would release each Friday. This number has now increased to four or five, of which at least three go unnoticed. This has not been accompanied by a rise in screen count, so releasing the film is really tiresome. In most cases, distributors and theatre owners do not even watch a film’s trailer before allotting screens, and even then, it takes at least Rs.1.5 crore in marketing for the public to know that such a film is about to release. The fact that theatres take a commission of 50 per cent from smaller films, which is higher than usual, only makes it worse.”
Muhammed Ameen, producer of Ra , managed to get a healthy 122 screens for his film, as he opted to release it a week before Lingaa . He says, “It is not just about getting more screens. Even show timings are important. There is no point in getting a noon show, even if it is in Sathyam theatre. Sadly, the lucrative show slots are often reserved for bigger banners, guaranteeing their films a minimum return on investment. One should be extremely confident of their content before opting to distribute on their own.”
Ameen says the success of films such as Pizza and Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom inspired him to get into the business.
Another problem faced by smaller films is the number of days their films is allowed to be screened. “People often refer to Sethu as an example of a small film prospering,” says Karthik. “But we should remember that even Sethu was given three weeks in theatres before word-of-mouth drew audiences in. Is that the case now? Even big star films last no more than two weeks. So, even if your content is strong, there is the possibility of your film vanishing.” Karthik managed to mitigate losses due to in-film branding he secured as a result of the film’s theme.
However, R. Rangarajan, director, AGS Entertainment, a company which produces, distributes and exhibits films, says the industry is always on the lookout for fresh talent. “As a multiplex chain, we have the flexibility to accommodate smaller films. There have been several instances where we’ve replaced big films with smaller ones when the latter performs better. Everybody benefits from promoting newcomers who emerge from smaller films. Today’s big names like Karthik Subbaraj, C.V. Kumar and Vijay Sethupathi are results of the industry taking chances.”
So if a theatrical release does not recover a film’s cost, wouldn’t sale of its satellite rights, remake rights, CDs and overseas exhibition help?
G. Venkatraman says, “One can be sure that most small-budget films are not going to break even. Satellite rights are the second-largest source of income for films. But there are only four or five channels that purchase rights and a channel does not need more than 25 films a year. So if 200 films are released each year, only 100 manage satellite sales. If a film isn’t marketed well, even overseas rights get picked up for a paltry sum. Remake rights and CDs are distant dreams.”
