And now, Delhi won't miss hits!

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Securing Oscar nominations by the dozen for the films it produces is second nature to Miramax. This year alone, the studio has 40 Oscar nominations in its kitty and a hand behind four of the five movies in the Best Film category.<br /><br />But, as luck would have it, Miramax has mostly stayed away from India. Films produced by the studio might be released worldwide, but they either give India a miss (<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Cider House Rules</span>) or arrive a couple of years late (<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Life Is Beautiful</span>). Reason? Miramx has neither a distribution deal nor an official presence in India, unlike other Hollywood studios.<br /><br />But come <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Chicago</span>, which is set for release in India on March 21, and things should change. As the year progresses, a staggering 15 films from Miramax will hit the desi silver screen. "For us, it’s a foothold into Miramax," offers Sanjiv Bijli, executive director of PVR Cinemas, which has entered into a distribution deal with the Hollywood giant.<br /><br />Starting with Chicago, which stars Rene Zelwegger, Catherine Zeta Jones and Richard Gere, and has notched up 13 nominations, the months to come will see the release of Steven Soderberg’s Julia Roberts-starrer <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Erin Brockovich</span>; <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Confessions of A Dangerous Mind</span>, which George Clooney has directed and acts in; <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Tadpole</span>, starring Signourney Weaver and Danny DeVito; and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Duplex</span>, featuring Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller.<br /><br />But the most interesting film in the Miramax line-up is, probably, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Jackie Brown </span>— Quentin Tarantino’s first feature since <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Pulp Fiction</span>. Adapted from the Elmore Leonard novel <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Rum Punch</span>, which had the trademark Tarantino flair and style, Jackie Brown was not released in theatres in the US owing to creative difference between the producer and the director.<br /><br />"Miramax is not just about movies and the number of Academy Awards it manages it shore up," says Tushar Dhingra, head of programming for PVR Cinemas, "If Miramax has <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Cider House Rules</span>, it also has the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Scary Movie </span>series. <br /><br />The studio has an interesting bouquet of films which will appeal to the audience." Adds Bijli, "At the end of the day, any deal should make commercial sense for both parties concerned. In this case, it has definitely opened the door for more Miramax films to come to India." As for the film fan, it’s always a case of: the more the merrier!<br /><br />pankaj.kapoor2000@indiatimes.com</div> </div>