Film-maker and actor Kamal Haasan has officially announced that his big budget blockbuster Vishwaroopam will be released on direct-to-home (DTH) platform on February 2, a week after its theatre release in Tamil and Telugu.
The Hindi version of the film Vishwaroop will hit the theatres in North India on February 1 and the DTH release will be on February 2.
Issuing a press release on Monday, on behalf on his production house Raajkamal Films International, the film-maker apologised to the “patient yet eager audience” who were waiting to watch the film on DTH.
Mr Haasan also said he was working with his DTH partners to reduce the pricing of the show for video-on-demand and also contemplating three shows on February 2 to make it convenient for those who book the movie.
The film-maker had originally planned to premiere the movie on DTH platforms a day ahead of its theatre release. However, the plan was dropped after a section of theatre owners and distributors protested, and eventually held negotiations with Kamal Haasan to change the strategy. He further said those DTH subscribers who had paid for the original premiere can get the amount refunded or adjusted against their other bills, as they deemed fit and allowed for by the respective DTH services.
“Despite the slight delay, Viswharoopam on DTH will be one of its kind even in India,” the actor noted.
A factual error has been corrected in this article on January 15, 2013
Keywords: Kamal Haasan, Vishwaroopam release, Vishwaroopam DTH screening, Rajkamal Films International
When will we learn that the best way to gaurantee the outcome we want is by
working the system. We have a lot to learn from the British. Confrontation does not
gaurantee victory.
This is a kind of compromise everyone is living. Can people commenting put their
hands to their heart and introspect whether they have been taking the bull by the
horns through the life. Pls note there are also people who never try. Atleast this man
is trying something.
Portrayal of young man's attitude was played very truthfully; so the expectations was that here is an intelligent and multifaceted skilled guy who bravely mentioned about the theatre mafia and it looked as if he is going to challenge the same; but sorry, the hopes are shattered for the present. May be another person will come to break the neck of this lobby.
The perfect actor has learnt it a hard way. It is not a negotiation that the theatre had with kamal but other way. He is a classic actor but not a shrewd business man.
Relax! Look at the silver lining. Kamal has still managed to open up
the DTH market within just a week. This was not possible before. He
has opened up a new monetisation avenue for producers. This will
certainly benefit small movie makers who will jump on to the DTH
bandwagon and make more money. They can release their movie at merely
one or two cinema halls and then go for a DTH release within just one
week. Not only will this fetch them more money, but this will also
wipe out the pirates. Eventually, once a DTH market slowly comes into
being, people will purchase LCD television sets and projectors. Every
house will become a mini-theatre. As this happens, a day will surely
arrive, when producer-directors will be able to bypass the movie
distribution mafia completely and go directly to the audience through
DTH style electronic distribution. Theatre owners will co-exist with
DTH releases, but the movie distribution mafia is eventually destined
to get completely wiped out in a decade.
Rightly said Srikanth. None of the established Super Stars nor those in
the making, have voiced any of their opinion. All, shrewdly, are playing
the safe, waiting game. If Kamal's path breaking move clicks, then, all
the silent spectators, will meekly jump to encash it. Despite the
unsavoury melee Vishwaroopam is embroiled in, right from the beginning,
may the movie succeed, so that Kamal is further emboldened, to chart out
such unheard of paths.
Cinema is no different from any other business. Be it Kamal, Rajini,
Big B, SRK, Aamir, Salman, Karan Johar, KB, Manirathnam, Reliance,
UTV, the Studio Moguls of Hollywood, YRF, all invariably, are in it
for mammon. None is in it for purposes of charity. They are ofcourse
charitable to certain avowed causes, as long as they rake in the
moolah. Reportedly, there are several instances where lady luck has
turned off her benevolent smile, drying up the lucre, for quite a few
passionate film makers or rather dream merchants, leaving them to lean
on charity alone, for their sustenance. Truly, its galling for the
film aficionado to hear of such vicissitudes. Though Kamal himself is
a radical, out-of-the-box type, in 'Varumaiyin Neram Sivappu' he
merely animated the lines that effused from KB's pen.
I would have wished DTH and Theatre had been worked together in harmony. No DTH for the first 1-1.5 months of the Theatre release.In the first 1 month, all people who like to go to theatre can fill the theatre coffers. In the second month, all those looking for a pirated CD, can look forward for a economy view with good quality in DTH. For the people who still cannot afford the both, can wait for 6-8 months for advertisers sponsored view in satellite televisions.
Surprised to see the comments where we still think that roles played by actors express their original character..This may be the case with few exceptional actors/actresses however majority of case actors are just like any other ordinary person... the only difference is they think they are super human and saviours of the society, given the mad following they have. Only very few succeed in having fame, money, power with a great character,. Infact these three factors degrades characters. If we are really serious, we should look for inspiration elsewhere like Great saints - a christ, a buddha, a mahavira, a mohammed, a ramanamaharishi, a Swami vivekananda or Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Leave actors to do what they are good at. acting.
I am a huge Kamal fan,right from the very beginning.Seen several trend
setting movies of him.But kamal is like, no matter he has the talent
and has proved it every single time, his movies have never really made
a big impact on box office collections for almost years together be it
anbe sivam, tenali, hey ram, alavandhan etc, people have never really
made his movies big blockbusters,because see whether a movie is good
or bad, only if it is a hit at box office will masses like the actor
and producers would try to invest in that person
There are two aspects for calling a movie profitable
1>It collects the amount equal to or more than than the budget of the
movie.
2>It creates an ever lasting impression for the movie goers.this can
happen when it is technically sound, superb performances, great
narratives.
He belongs to 2nd type
Recently though kamal is satisfied with his work in movies, he also
realizes that there is a dire need for making the
producers,distributors happy and satisfied
It's Kamal's and his investor's money, so commentaries asking Kamal for his bravado is foolish. After watching Varumayin Niram Sivappu if you still haven't got the gist then you don't deserve Kamal. You got to play the game to tame the theater mafia. May be a different strategy is needed. Angry young man attitudes will not work.
I paid Rs. 1000 to see it in DTH - before the release of the film in theaters...why should I shell out the same amount now to see it after a week??
I am terribly disappointed. I expected at least this person who acted very nicely in Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu tearing off the certificates in an interview and later becoming a barber to eke out a living honestly signified something. For so many weeks I read bold statements but in real life the actor bowed out to theatre mafia. Everyone is interested in money only. Pity! the actor need not have played the characters so truthfully.
This bogus behaviour only irritates us terribly; when I saw Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu the scene where the young actor tore the certificates in an interview I was thrilled; there was pride and justice in our heart when that rebellious soul took up a barber's job. It reflected the situation in my adolescnt age in that time. Now at sixty after retirement I expected a much more honest dealings from the same actor in real life but disappointed. He could not stand up to the pressures of the theatre mafia; money is more important to everyone. If the actor can't stand up to the pressures at least he need not have mouthed those empty words for the past few weeks.
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