Prime time for small-budget movies
Probably for the first time as many as 20 Hindi films, with production costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore, are releasing in the next six weeks.
By Samidha Sharma & Meenakshi Verma, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Its raining small-budget movies this month. And it’s no coincidence. Thanks to the traditional lull period in Bollywood before Diwali, perhaps for the first time as many as 20 Hindi films, with production costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore, are releasing in the next six weeks.
In the offing are films such as Manorama Six Feet Under, Dil Dosti Etc, Mr While Mr Black and Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama to name a few. The only exception being Priyadarshan’s Rs 10-crore flick, Dhol. Multiplex owners say that with no big-budget releases in the next one month, it’s a strategic move by the small-budget film producers to get more cinegoers to watch their films.
“This one month window pre-Diwali is being increasingly leveraged by smaller films in the last couple of years since most of the big releases happen during Diwali and Eid. This year is no exception with the two biggest films of the year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawarya and Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, releasing during Diwali,” says Navin Shah, CEO, P9 Integrated, the movie marketing arm of Percept.
Trade pundits say Shraad and Ramzan is the time when most big banners don’t want to release their movies. So, the Diwali and Eid time gets extremely crowded and smaller movies get one or two shows at the multiplexes. “Most small movie makers typically release movies in the pre-Diwali season. But occupancies levels don’t drop necessarily. A good movie will click nevertheless and the time of its release doesn’t really matter,” says Taran Adarsh, a trade analyst.
In the offing are films such as Manorama Six Feet Under, Dil Dosti Etc, Mr While Mr Black and Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama to name a few. The only exception being Priyadarshan’s Rs 10-crore flick, Dhol. Multiplex owners say that with no big-budget releases in the next one month, it’s a strategic move by the small-budget film producers to get more cinegoers to watch their films.
“This one month window pre-Diwali is being increasingly leveraged by smaller films in the last couple of years since most of the big releases happen during Diwali and Eid. This year is no exception with the two biggest films of the year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawarya and Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, releasing during Diwali,” says Navin Shah, CEO, P9 Integrated, the movie marketing arm of Percept.
Trade pundits say Shraad and Ramzan is the time when most big banners don’t want to release their movies. So, the Diwali and Eid time gets extremely crowded and smaller movies get one or two shows at the multiplexes. “Most small movie makers typically release movies in the pre-Diwali season. But occupancies levels don’t drop necessarily. A good movie will click nevertheless and the time of its release doesn’t really matter,” says Taran Adarsh, a trade analyst.
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