These are days, while missing the latest movie in the theatres, the hullabaloo about it is relatively mild. “Oh, I'll catch it on television soon or grab a copy of it from my friend,” would be a statement that you can usually overhear. It refuses to be a big deal anymore when you have so many alternatives. Keeping aside the big-screen excitement with a taste of the fan frenzy the theatre’s efficient sound system, especially for movies tailor-made for that flavour, like an Avatar, Baahubali or an Interstellar , a mild compromise is certainly fine, especially when you are not in a zone to watch it in a public space.
Interestingly, it’s a fact that the gap between a theatrical release and a television show is only coming down year after year. That is just a catch up game television heads play, to ensure adequate revenues for the first-screening and reducing the spectator’s temptation to compromise. A rewind to about a decade ago, and the possibility of seeing a hit film on the small screen took around a year. A few months ago too, when Dhanush’s Tamil film Anegan (Anekudu in Telugu ) debuted on television within 50 days, some of his fans expressed disappointment. The actor however went on record to say, “The film is a hit. That’s all that matters. If it’s still aired, then let a wider audience enjoy the film.”
For those who can’t wait for the movie’s official television premiere to take off, there’s the unofficial torrent print; for the patient souls, there’s a better version of it always lurking around the corner. For those playing safe with ethics, the DVDs and the blu-rays, unlike the past, have started hitting the stores, just a little before their television debut. So, is that enthusiasm to spend time with family by watching a movie on television for a lazy weekend still around?
Still taking note that the gap between the theatre and television release with respect to movies is lessening, that span is turning out to be long enough for today’s passionate movie buffs, where instantaneity dictates terms.
An official from a leading Telugu channel network, who refuses to come on record, shares interesting insights with MetroPlus, about the other way round, on how the programming heads of TV networks respond to this. “The difference over the years has been the lessening dependence on movies to fetch big bucks. Unlike the past, beyond its hit or flop record, we insist on watching the movie and then finalise our deal. For television, it’s always about the little 20-minute stretches in the film we take care of.
Ideally, there are only certain movies which have repeat value and are clean efforts. Say, Trivikram, SS Rajamouli, Srinu Vaitla and to an extent Puri Jagannadh make films where families can afford to sit together. The makers make such films wanting one to go a little beyond the pirated ones or DVDs and stick to television. Pace and comedy in the movie is what we focus on today,” the source remarks.
It’s a little startling when the former adds, “Films like that of Mani Ratnamthat take its own while to grow on a viewer are better for theatres rather than the small screen. Examples like that of Ye Maya Chesave an OK Bangaram are quality films, but the television diktats are different altogether.”
You don’t need to search for better reasons, say, when critically acclaimed films like Anthaku Mundu Aa Tharuvatha,Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu anda Mallela Teeramlo Sirimalle Puvvu struggled to make it to the television despite strong content. In fact, the latter of the two are yet to convince any television house for a slot. Some films surprisingly, like Khaleja , which didn’t release on DVD or last long in theatres, are a scream on television.
Most of the leading television channels and film production houses now have their own platforms to share the work they’ve done with the audience, some paid and some unpaid. Say, Eros, producing the Madhavan-Kangana Ranaut starrer Tanu Weds Manu Returns had screened the movie first on its app, Eros Now, ahead of television.
There’s no doubt TV still remains a common man’s guilty pleasure for movies, but, in terms of dependence levels, the norms are surely changing.
