There’s a lot of tension in Tamil cinema at the moment, with everybody nervously awaiting the outcome of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. It is safe to say that no other recent election has created as much anxiety in the Tamil cinema industry. For the last 49 years, a Dravidian party has ruled Tamil Nadu, and kept the Tamil film industry on a tight leash. The state government decides if a Tamil film should be awarded the entertainment tax waiver. It decides if there should be a price cap on cinema tickets. It even sometimes decides to sanction further cuts in a film already cleared by the censor board.
If you are a top hero in Tamil cinema, you have to exercise great caution to make sure you do not offend the government in any way. A lot of Tamil superstars have discovered this the hard way, and have realised that the best way to achieve box-office success is to stay away from the limelight. Some of them refuse to be interviewed, as quotes can often be misconstrued by the government. It is important that films do well here, as with the exception of Rajinikanth’s films, all others make the majority of their revenue in Tamil Nadu.
Those in Kollywood have traditionally been fence-sitters, preferring to wait till election results get announced before announcing their alignment. When asked about what they expect from the new government, they choose to keep mum. A top actor, wishing to be unnamed, says, “I cannot mention my expectations without knowing who’s coming to power. Sources tell me that it will be a close contest, this time. I think it’s sensible for me to keep my mouth shut, as I don’t want any of my future projects to be jeopardised.”
All the trade associations are split on their allegiance towards either party, and remain divided. Nadigar Sangam secretary Vishal recently declared at the press meet of Maruthu that he will be taking strict action against piracy. He says, “I’m the only one raising a voice against piracy and acting on it. While I’m busy organising press meets, I’m sure there are people who are busy printing DVD covers of my film, Maruthu, that will be releasing on May 20. Suriya’s 24 is already available in the grey market, and I know from where it’s coming from. When Maruthu releases, I will track down the theatre responsible for this, and go after them.” Two days after Vishal’s press meet, Studio Green, one of the producers of Suriya’s 24 , confirmed that piracy had taken place and that a popular multiplex in Bangalore was the source from which the pirated copy originated.
A day after Vishal’s outburst, Tirupur Subramaniam, who controls a large number of screens in the state, hit back through a Whatsapp voice message saying that no piracy was taking place at theatres in Tamil Nadu. A peeved Subramaniam said, “I’m shocked by Vishal’s accusation. I can vouch that our people will never do such things. Pirated copies of Tamil films are coming in from overseas markets. I challenge Vishal and the producers’ council to try stopping the simultaneous release of Tamil films in overseas markets. The move will immediately stop piracy.”
The producers of small-budget films hope that the new government will provide tax exemptions and make it compulsory for theatres to screen their films. The theatres, on their part, are planning to submit a memorandum to the newly-elected government for an increase in ticket prices, which have remained the same for the last eight years. Meanwhile, single screens and complexes are demanding faster approval, so they can convert their properties into a multiplex.
A leading veteran producer and distributor says, “All these issues are as a result of the government interfering in cinema matters, with almost all the political parties coming in with vested interests. Parties often treat cinema as a freebie, and insist that theatres sell a certain number of tickets for Rs. 10. What Tamil cinema requires is a liberal policy.”
