You tweeted earlier this week about the producers of Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya distributing one free ticket for every ticket purchased. What’s wrong with that? Why were you so critical about this?
– It sets a wrong precedent. Members of the public start taking that as an entitlement. This is dangerous because it will adversely affect the initials of forthcoming films. People will be dissuaded from going to the cinemas in the first weekend under the belief that producers of other films will come up with similar schemes after the first weekend and hence they will wait for the weekend to get over. You probably did not read the response of a cinema owner to my tweet: “Multiplexes selling tickets at throwaway prices in the first week itself is slow poison for the industry. See a post on our Facebook: a patron wanted to watch a movie which was not being screened at ours. Another patron asked him to wait for Monday as the multiplexes will have throwaway prices and he could watch it then.” Next what? Distributing free tickets just so that the first week’s total comes to a respectable figure? It is like a producer making a film, and then buying tickets himself for free distribution to show that the film has collected so well and prove that his film is a hit. Does the baker buy his entire stock of bread and feel happy about doing great business? Explained differently, it is our duty — as journalists — to present a true picture of the trade. If you remember, some weeks back, I had also exposed the trend of corporate bookings to mislead people into believing that the business of films is what it actually isn’t. Any person who loves the film trade and cares for it should be critical of practices like the above.
Will Shaitaan take a good start on 1st March?
– Horror films often open well. Having said that, it must be added that Ajay Devgan needs to pump up the publicity of the film for a better initial because the awareness about the supernatural film is not optimum. He still has three weeks to garner more excitement for the film.
Is Aamir Khan producing the remake of Hollywood film Champions?
– Yes, he is. Its shooting has already started. The film is titled SITARE ZAMEEN PAR. The Hollywood CHAMPIONS (2023) is itself the remake of a Spanish film of the same name and released in 2018. SZP is being directed by R.S. Prasanna who had made SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN.