Where the rest of the film industry is yet to take baby steps, Kamal Haasan is attempting to run a marathon. And every one is running scared.
The decision of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association and the Tamil Nadu Film Distributors’ Association to “not screen and distribute movies that are released on the Direct-to-Home platform,” taken at a meeting held in Tiruchi on Thursday, seems to be a last-ditch effort to scuttle the novel move by Kamal Haasan to release Vishwaroopam on DTH platform as a pay-per-view screening on January 10, a day ahead of its intended theatre release. Theatre owners and distributors are not convinced that DTH is video piracy-proof and believe the showing will drastically cut ticket revenues. Mr. Haasan has been insistent that theatre owners have nothing to fear.