With most big budget films released this year biting the dust,, and losses to the industry running over Rs. 100 crore, it is time for the producers to take stock of the situation. While everyone talks of the huge remunerations of the director and the hero being the reason for the spiralling cost of production, there are other reasons that make a producer do a tightrope walk till the film is released. Producer Suresh Babu says he would any day pay a big star like Mahesh his price even if his films flop in a row because the actor has a market; he would rather balance the cost by not giving in to the demands of other technicians or cast.
“Directors hire top artistes only to safeguard their career and are not willing to experiment. Even today people don’t go to shoot with a bound script, don’t do a recce of the locations. The reason for the sorry state of Telugu industry is actually the lack of discipline and planning. There is also no proper timing of release and marketing. One should release the film when time is right and not simple because the film is ready. For Uyyala Jampala , I waited three months. One reason why Loukyam worked is because they advanced the release as soon as Aagadu flopped. So book your theatres in advance and plan publicity,” he explains.
Lofty aimsM. S Raju gave a string of hits as producer but when it came to direction, his projects misfired despite his experience as a producer. While no one makes movies with an intention of losing but the producer and director should plan well and not let the producer like turn into an ATM machine. The problem lies in all producers aiming to make a Attharintiki Daredi, Dhookudu or a Gabbar Singh ; they should realise that not all projects with an investment of over Rs. 50 crore recover that money.
Also there is unnecessary expenditure, a sensuous and a reasonably priced Hamsa Nandini could work as an item dancer instead of roping in a 40 plus lakh Sruthi Hassan and her entourage.
The emphasis should be on having no risk or sleepless night on the eve of the release.
Writer Gopi Mohan avers, “Huge money is being spent on interval fights and climax fights, songs. It is running to 18 to 25 days. The scene looks small on paper but on screen it is not. There are union problems between Chennai and Hyderabad. Chennai technicians are not allowed to work without cards and our fight masters are not trained. The stars can’t take a risk of hiring them because a small sprain can jeopardise a hero’s dates. We also don’t have stunt studios where local stunt masters can practice and execute, because of lack of space and time they come to the sets on the day of shoot or one day before to execute. The other day I was talking to a producer and he was saying it would help if the heroes and directors don’t demand their pay till the day of the release; usually they are paid a nominal advance. That amount can be used for other purpose. Financiers are also in a bad state with their money being blocked.”
Corporate methodSuresh Babu says the production practices in Mumbai are much better, they have a faster work ethic and are shifting the costs to the corporates. “The star producers are making money, they are making 50cr profit but they are few people. People like Salman Khan, Shahrukh, Aamir have realised they are becoming bigger sellers so they are starting their own production houses, and they just tie up with a producer and director and do their own things. Also you can’t afford to be creative on the sets by making last minute changes in the script. In Hollywood, whenever you are allowed to break from the bound script in the name of creativity, the onus of the cost goes to the director’s remuneration. Here our producers take it all. The producer should insist on knowing the story, demand a bound script and tell the director to take a walk if he hikes his remuneration midway through the shoot. If the producer isn’t strong enough, the director will treat him like a slave.”
Gopi Mohan adds, “Even TV is growing bigger. But cinema needs more frills. The sad part is that there is a very thin margin between cost of production and business made.”
Suresh Babu signs off saying he has no complaint on big budget movies as long they do proper planning, “Shankar is making an extremely lavish film, I heard that the producer spent ten crore on the audio release, two crore for the aircraft that flew down Arnold Schwarzenegger and five crore for him. But again that is the confidence a producer exudes. Whether he was right in spending that much can be decided only after the film’s release.”
