How cinemas ensure houseful shows for India’s Oscar entries

It’s festive season and that means a number of family-oriented movies are hitting the big screens. But one movie that is on the must-see list of many Delhiites is India’s official entry to the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film category – 'Village Rockstars'. The film, which is in Assamese, was released in theatres the same week that India’s submission for the Academy Award was announced.While the exhibitors call it a mere coincidence, last year’s official selection, 'Newton', also had the same coincidence, and was welcomed with packed halls.
‘Selection announcement generates curiosity among the audience’
In NCR, 'Village Rockstars' was released in selected screens, and all the shows are running houseful. Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures Ltd., says, “Even though it was a coincidence that the film was released the same week that the selection announcement came, it helped the film.” He adds, “Getting selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars is a big deal, it means that the film has already got a strong approval. The response has been very encouraging, with occupancy percentage as high as 95% for the film across the country.”
Rahul Kadbet, GM Programming and Distribution, Carnival Cinemas, adds, “Last year India’s official entry for the Oscars was 'Newton', and it received a huge response and high occupancy. It’s the curiosity that pulls the audience to the theatres because if it’s a regional film then the audience is limited, but because of the Oscars announcement more moviegoers want to watch the film.”
Exhibitors say that if these films had not been released at the same time as the Oscars selection announcement, they might not have had such a good response from cinegoers. They add that keeping track of the Oscars selection announcement date is crucial.
'Village Rockstars', this year’s official entry for the Oscars, and 'Newton', last year’s entry, were both released after the selection announcement
Re-screening of India’s official entry for the Oscars
Exhibitors tell us that if a film that has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars has already been released in theatres, it is re-released after the official announcement. “It’s a norm,” says Gianchandani, adding, “The movies are brought back to cinema halls after the announcement because suddenly everyone who missed the film during the first release wants to watch it on the big screen.” Kadbet adds, “The shows are limited and the releases are well-timed.”
‘Why miss a chance to watch India’s official entry, Jeet gaye toh?’
Most Delhiites might not have even heard of 'Village Rockstars' before the film turned out to be a rockstar and swept three National Awards – Best Film, Best Child Actor, and Best Director. But even then the film was not released in theatres. And now that it has finally been released, Delhiites do not want to miss the opportunity. Rashi Chauhan, a homemaker, says, “I thought that nobody will come for the film because it’s in Assamese and caters to a niche audience. But when I didn’t get tickets on the first day because the shows were houseful, I was surprised. The next day also the tickets were available only for the first row, so I had to further postpone watching it.”
Shashank Sengupta, a professor, told us, “In any given week, there are so many films running in theatres, and unless you are a major movie buff, you will end up missing several good films. But when a film is announced as India’s official entry to the Oscars, you can’t afford to miss that film, jeet gaya toh?”