'Better publicity, star system needed for Marathi cinema'

PUNE: Better publicity techniques and creation of a star system are necessary for Marathi cinema, said experts while speaking at a seminar on marketing strategies for Marathi cinema, organised at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) on Wednesday evening. The seminar was held in association with Akhil Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal and Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari.
The technique of publicising a film, and once released how well the project fares, are some of the challenges that were further deliberated on. The art and craft of publicity via teasers and promos play a vital role, said producer-distributor Sanjay Chhabria.
"Designing and display of film posters should feature the cast but also communicate a little more than that, like the film's theme through a catchy tagline. More importantly, theatrical promos should be prepared and released in advance. You need at least two months to create proper awareness," he said.
Multiplexes are the biggest marketing tool available for Marathi cinema today, said distributor Prakash Chaphalkar. "Marketing of Marathi cinema is based entirely on demand and supply. Does anybody study how many Marathi films the average audience wants to see every week? Word-of-mouth plays an important role in a film's success. Film producers, too, need to join hands to avoid getting into each other's hair while releasing their respective films. And as distributors, we have to prioritise the screenings of films that come to us," he said.
Product, price and placement are three elements that determine a film's success, said producer, Vikas Patil. "The film has to be good, otherwise marketing will not yield positive results. As I am also on the committee that gives government grants to Marathi films, I notice that only 10-15% of these are good."
Sub-titling Marathi films for domestic as well as international releases, and using various forms of film distribution can make a positive difference, said technical director of Filmlab, Ujwal Nirgudkar.
"This will appeal to both, Marathi-speaking and non-Marathi audiences, thereby making a film's acceptance easier. Revenue earned from foreign audience needs to be thought about in right earnest. Taking films to people via modern, digital technology can also cut down piracy. Producers should also think about theatrical and non-theatrical distribution in the form of home videos, non-franchisee channels and use of social networking. This can guarantee faster revenues, too," he said.
Public relations form a neglected component of Marathi films, said publicist, Ganesh Gargote. Producer of 'Deool,' Abhijit Gholap said creating a star system in the Marathi film industry is important to create better business.
"Making movies for the younger audience is necessary, as they can help change the economics for Marathi cinema. Even the NRI audience for Marathi cinema cannot be taken for granted. Sadly, these viewers, too, prefer to spend little on Marathi cinema and shell out more money on Hindi or other Indian regional films. This needs to be changed," he said.
Gholap's team began promoting 'Deool' via promos, standees and posters six months before its release. "Can we build a product which will make the audience fall in love with it? What value you can present in your film is important. A separate budget should be dedicated to a film's promotion," he said.
Seven films have been selected in PIFF's Marathi competition category.
"A few years back, we were apprehensive about the lack of entries of Marathi films at PIFF. But this year, we got 36 entries, out of which seven were selected," said PIFF director, Jabbar Patel.