Digital medium no threat to films released in halls: industry

Agencies
April 8, 2018

Mumbai, Apr 8: More and more filmmakers are looking at the digital medium as their new go-to platform, but the Hindi film industry is not worried.

The digital world may present new challenges but it is not a threat to films released in cinema halls, industry people say, stressing that the two mediums can coexist.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, one of the first stars from Bollywood to warm up to the digital medium, believes that though the times have changed and the younger generation prefers catching films or shows on their personal devices, a big screen has its own draw.

"Now youngsters do not watch stuff on TV; they see it on phone. But I would like to see 'Batman' or 'Baahubali' on the big screen," Khan states.

The 52-year-old actor's Red Chillies Entertainment and streaming service Netflix are working on an original series based on the book "Bard of Blood".

In India, the digital revolution began in 2012 when IIT Kharagpur graduate Arunabh Kumar started producing original and entertaining content on his online digital entertainment channel -- The Viral Fever, popularly known as TVF.

By 2015, TVF had come up with a five-episode web series "Pitchers" that reportedly garnered a rating of 9.4 out of 10 on IMDb, the global Internet movie database. "Pitchers" was placed in IMDb's top 250 TV series list alongside popular English shows "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones".

Soon, Yash Raj Films, India's premier filmmaking unit, had entered the market through their YouTube channel YFilms with series such as "Man's World" and "Band Baaja Baraat" in 2015 getting an overwhelming response.

But the success of the digital films has not dented the enthusiasm for cinema released in halls, film industry insiders point out. Lakhs of people still like to watch their films in theatres, they stress.

"The digital medium can never replace a date at the movies," says Swara Bhaskar, who has been a part of "It's Not That Simple", available exclusively on Voot.

Small budget films such as "Kapoor & Sons", "Dear Zindagi", "Secret Superstar" and "Neerja" sold some 60-70 lakh tickets. Mid-budget films such as "Airlift", "Judwaa 2" and "Jolly LLB" did business worth Rs 120-130 crore and got footfalls of around 1.10-1.20 crore.

Recent big-budget movies starring Salman Khan or Aamir Khan have had over 3 crore footfalls -- "Tiger Zinda Hai" sold around 3.15 crore tickets and "Dangal" about 3.74 crores.

The most watched film since 2000 is "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" of 2017, which sold around 5.25 crore tickets.

But for many producers, the digital medium is the platform of the future. After the phenomenal success of its two series, YFilms came up with more web series -- "Love Shots", "Ladies Room" and "Sex Chat with Pappu and Papa" all had several million views.

The year 2017 saw three big names in the sector. Farhan Akhtar's production house Excel Entertainment partnered with Amazon Prime Video for webseries "Inside Edge". Ekta Kapoor went a step ahead and launched an OTT platform called ALTBalaji and Vikram Bhatt has his YouTube channel called VB on the Web.

With a digital release, movie makers have the ability to reach 100 million people as most of the Indian population is online, says Manav Sethi, CMO, ALTBalaji.

"Today bandwidth provided by players like Jio and micropayments enabled by players like PayTM have made it possible for monetisation models to stack up for digital releases," he told PTI.

Pointing to the spread of smartphones in India, Sethi stresses that filmmakers are addressing millennials and binge viewers.

"They (young people) like pacey shows like 'Narcos', 'Bose: Dead/Alive', 'The Test Case'. India has started to pay for content that is good quality and exclusive," he says.

While he calls it a structural shift in platforms and content, Sethi also believes that both formats will coexist and continue to grow.

"Those who consider digital a threat are myopic in their vision. India is not a homogeneous market," he adds.

In recent times, more international OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have entered the Indian market.

But the digital players make it clear that they are not aiming for a conflict with the theatrical release.

Vijay Subramaniam, Director, Content, Amazon Prime Video India, believe a film's theatrical release is critical and they are not here to "replace" any medium.

"...We support theatrical premieres and work closely with filmmakers as our partners. We are here to support and not replace. Movies that do well at the box office are also some of the most highly watched titles on Prime Video," he says.

The online platforms have opened up new revenue streams for Bollywood's production houses as well.

As Subramaniam points out, many new Bollywood and regional blockbusters premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video within a few weeks after their theatrical release.

Yet, it cannot be denied that with the digital revolution in India, many more people watch content online and footfalls at the cinema houses have reduced.

To top it, directors and producers face problems over a film's release in a theatre because they do not get an adequate number of screens and because of the risk factor that distributors and exhibitors face.

Radhika Apte, the star of Netflix's "Sacred Games", however, does not see the digital space as a threat to the cinema because she says, theatres have their own charm.

"Many projects do not get green-lit as a lot of risks is involved these days with cinema. Content is getting split but I don't think that is bad. However, at the same time, certain films will be seen in theatres only," she told PTI.

Kubbra Sait, who also has a role in "Sacred Games", agrees.

"A theatrical release always has an upper hand over a TV release or the digital medium," she says.

If anything is under threat, it is poor cinema, holds R Madhavan, who just had a major success on Amazon Prime Video with "Breathe".

"Cinema that doesn't justify being seen on a large screen is definitely under threat," he adds.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Nalgonda,  Jul 5: Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been booked in connection with his upcoming film 'Murder' which is based on Pranay Kumar's murder in Nalgonda district.

Ram Gopal Varma was booked following Nalgonda court's directive on a petition filed by father of a man who was killed in an alleged honour killing incident in Miryalaguda in 2018.

"We have booked filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma following a court order for his upcoming movie 'Murder', which is based on sensational caste-based Pranay Kumar's murder that occurred in Miryalguda, Nalgonda District in September 2018, " Police said.

On June 21, the filmmaker has released the poster of 'Murder', based on a true story.
Police said, "Pranay's father Balaswamy has filed a petition in Nalgonda Court stating that the film will affect the on-going trial of Pranay's murder case and the film should be stalled."

"We've registered a case under relevant section of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act and taken up investigation."

"The court has ordered Nalgonda police to register a case against the film director Ram Gopal Varma and the producer," added the police.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Mumbai, Jul 28: Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to look into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death and direct the state police to register an FIR in this connection.

Wishing Thackeray on Monday on his birthday, Tiwari, who has acted in Bhojpuri films, pointed out that over 40 days have passed since the death of Rajput, but an FIR is yet to be registered.

"Many happy returns of the Day @CMOMaharashtra Shri Uddhav Ji, on this day I request with folded hands to give justice to Sushant who died 43 days ago, but no FIR has been registered so far. I hope you will help. Please do justice to millions of SSR fans," he tweeted.

Bollywood actor Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14, which the police said was a case of suicide. His death had triggered an outcry from several quarters alleging that the late actor, who hailed from Bihar, was a victim of nepotism in the film industry.

The lawmaker from Northeast Delhi's Lok Sabha seat, who visited the deceased actor's family in Patna last month had then said: "Sushant's father and sister requested me to take up the issue and get him justice. It was really a sentimental moment for me".

Previously, Tiwari had demanded a CBI investigation into the matter

According to the police, statements of 40 people including film critic Rajeev Masand, director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and filmmaker Aditya Chopra and actor Rhea Chakraborty have been recorded in the investigation so far.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Los Angeles, Jan 27: Pop-rock innovator Billie Eilish on Sunday bested a packed field to win the Grammy for Song of the Year -- which honors songwriters -- for her hit "Bad Guy."

The 18-year-old beat veteran acts Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey along with newcomers Lewis Capaldi and Lizzo to take home the coveted honor.

She shares the prize with her older brother Finneas O'Connell, her primary creative collaborator.

The pair were gracious onstage, with Eilish telling her fellow nominees: "I grew up watching all of you."

"We just make music in a bedroom together," said O'Connell. "We still do that and they let us do that. (...) This is to all of the kids making music in your bedrooms today -- you're going to get one of these."

Eilish was among this year's most nominated artists with six nods, and is the youngest person ever nominated in all four of the top categories.

Best song was her second award of the night. She won earlier for best pop vocal album for "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?"

Before she released the album in March 2019, Eilish had already assembled a fervent online following for her bold, often haunting pop sound.

In August, Eilish became the first musician born in the 2000s to top the Billboard Hot 100, when she dethroned Lil Nas X, who spent a record-breaking 19 weeks at the top with viral hit "Old Town Road."

The artist named Billboard's 2019 Woman of the Year has also written and will perform the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film "No Time To Die."

"I feel like I'm not supposed to be here," she told E! television on the red carpet before the gala. "Life is weird."

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