What’s rolling in big studios? Indie films with edgy scripts

For close to two years, Shammeer Sultan slogged the way any young, single-minded filmmaker would — relentless even if producers repeatedly declined his pitches. During one such visit to director and producer Gautham Vasudev Menon last year, Sultan landed an alternate deal – to direct ‘Weekend Machan’, a Tamil

web series

. Aired on the YouTube channel of Menon’s production house Ondraga Entaertainment’s, the series is now eight episodes old. "Until then, I had been pitching small budget films or releasing self-funded work," says Sultan.

The struggling artist stereotype of an indie filmmaker may fast become obsolete. New launchpads have emerged for anyone capable of producing edgy and saleable content. The scope ranges from short films and

documentaries

to music

videos

and featurettes, and is fuelled by the convenience to cut across platforms — theatrical, satellite or digital. And joining this space are big studios and production houses with an agenda to source and consolidate original content into their area of expertise.

"Earlier, any film that wasn’t commercial was labeled ‘indie’. But today, an indie film could be one that is made for a specific platform, its budget ranging anywhere between `20 lakh to `2crore," says Kaarthekeyen Santhanam of Stone Bench Creations, which runs Stone Bench Originals, an exclusive digital content creation and distribution division. "We are willing to invest big money in the indie circuit, even involving established actors and directors. We see a sustainable business model in the digital platform."

"Also, within the mainstream mould, we have an audience, mostly youngsters, that wants to watch stories reflecting our mundane lives in an interesting way," says Siddharth Anand Kumar, head of Yoodlee, the film vertical of Saregama.

Another segment of entrepreneurs pioneering the alternative movement are those who have found themselves as misfits in the mainstream — which has been a profit-driven and insulated space

so far.

"Films don’t fail, budgets do," says Kumar. To him Yoodlee stands for cinema experience that is "rooted in reality, touches a philosophical theme, and is told in an engaging way."

"Adhering to the cornerstones of an indie film — a well-written script, extensive pre-production and perfect casting - has allowed us to finish our films under budget and on time," says Kumar. The budget, according to Yoodlee, is drawn up to balance the needs of the film with its earning potential and ranges between Rs4 crore and `5 crore.

There are also small production houses exclusively created for independent work and avenues like National Film Development Corporation's (NFDC) Film Bazaar that facilitate creative and financial collaboration among international film communities.

Then, what is the advantage of having big players on board?

"To begin with, better reach," says Sultan. "Ondraga for instance, roped in celebrities to release every episode of ‘Weekend Machan’, which gave us excellent visibility. Also, the scale of resources, finances and expertise involved in successfully creating and releasing a web series is high," he adds.

"They also have the digital, theatrical and audio rights ," says B R Vijayalakshmi, senior vice president at Yoodlee for south. "A large corporate makes for a solid producer, so the filmmaker is guaranteed a good release," she adds. Her film, ‘Abhiyum Anuvum’, backed by Yoodlee, is set for a theatrical release on March 9.

The indie community, however, feels production houses are after all, cashing in on a growing supply base for niche content and not necessarily empowering the community.

"With creative control over the film and its rights, production houses have little to lose. If they’re here to question the status quo, what are they offering their suppliers? How will an indie film crew sustain after they launch with them, how many festivals will their work be sent to and what are the channels/venues that they are provided with are questions we must ask," says Sudarshan Raghunathan, filmmaker and founder of Banao Creatives that makes

indie films

.

Many say the technological movement, through its wide reach is rapidly consolidating a fragmented industry where no one can work in isolation anymore. "To survive, a production house needs to have various verticals rolled into itself - for content creation, acquisition, marketing, distribution and monetisation," S Sashikanth of Y Not Studios.

(With inputs from Vinaya Jagadeesh)