It is commonly known that cinema stars are revered by their die-hard fans in Tamil Nadu. Today, a star’s popularity is measured by the opening day numbers and the impact it creates among the first day first show (FDFS) audiences. In Kollywood, the FDFS has become a sort of prestige among all stars, especially if it is held in the wee hours of the morning. And this craze has gone overboard in the last few months, with even smaller actors holding early morning shows on the first day of their film’s release.
The early morning show culture started in the 90s when superstars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan ruled the box-office. It was imperative to have an elaborate ‘paal abhisekham’ for the star’s cut-out outside the theatre screening the film. Back then, it was a big deal for fans to hold an FDFS with all the hype and hoopla. Only a single screen, usually referred by fans as ‘Thalaivar Kotai’, used to hold that prestigious early morning show back then.
Book in anticipation
But things have changed now, with select theatres in the city suburbs announcing early morning shows. Vijay Deverakonda, who made his debut in Tamil cinema last week with NOTA, was given a red carpet reception at a popular theatre with an early morning show. Now, many new releases are having early morning shows in multiple screens and the competition among theatres in suburban Chennai means that fans can book their seats many days before release.
However, in the last month, four films had to cancel their early morning shows as the KDM (key delivery mechanism) for digital screening was not delivered due to financial issues between producers and distributors. The cancellation of these special shows creates its own problems, with fans getting agitated and blocking theatre entrances, thus creating traffic jams at 5 am!
All this has a led to a piquant situation where a PIL petition was filed in Madras High Court against some theatres in Chennai suburbs for holding early morning shows. Some of these theatres not only conducted “illegal morning shows” but also played six shows on the release day. This goes against the Tamil Nadu Government rules which permit only four shows a day (on working days) and five shows on weekends and Government holidays. The Division Bench of the HC has now asked the State Government to respond, and posted the case to Friday.
A peeved theatre owner in Chengalpet, who has been regularly holding early morning shows, states on the condition of anonymity, “I do not see any illegality in such shows which are basically meant for fans of the actor who want to celebrate their idol before other audiences. This is important in this age of social media. Producers tell us that though they make films for Tamil audiences, viewers in Malaysia, UAE, watch it before because there are premiere shows there. Sometimes, before the start of a show in Tamil Nadu, those premieres are over, and reports from these shows, if negative, eat into our business. Movies are, after all, a business where the early bird gets to benefit.”
Another theatre owner said, “Many people thank us for holding early morning shows as they watch it and head to their workplace or educational institutions, and get on with their daily routine, satisfied that spoilers on social media did not affect their viewing.”
Abirami Ramanathan, president of the powerful Theatre Owners Association, said, “Today, cinema is just another form of entertainment and the fact is that many theatres are closing down due to a lack of patronage. It’s bewildering that cinema licences are still given based on the old Tamil Nadu Cinema Regulation Rules 1956. Unless there is a total overhaul in the business of cinema, catering to the lifestyle of today’s audiences, it is very difficult for theatres to survive.”
