No entry for big bucks?

Are independent producers threatened by big production houses? CT finds out

The Tamil Film Producers�� Council (TFPC) has banned all Bollywood film corporations from making Tamil films.
And the reason is the loss of business to independent producers, who can��t compete with the fee Bollywood producers offer actors and technicians.
The TFPC members feel that Bollywood film corporations have been over-paying actors and technicians, buying movies at exorbitant prices and driving independent film-makers into near-penury.So, we��ve decided to keep outsiders at bay,�� a Tamil producer was recently quoted as saying.
With Hollywood production houses also evincing interest in Indian cinema, are independent producers on the verge of extinction? ��Corporatisation of the industry is a natural process and there��ll always be competition. It��s a matter of demand and supply,�� says director Indrajit Lankesh, who��s also the executive producer of Shaadi Ke After Effects. ��The business of films is mostly a creative process. If you pay more, the output will be better. So, it��s good if technicians are being paid more,�� he says.

Indrajit also adds that independent producers needn��t be threatened. ��They can associate themselves with production houses, like Farhan Akhtar did for his movie Rock On!! When Bollywood producers come down south, they don��t know what the audiences want, which the directors here do. Mixing local talent with bigger money will result in better cinema. Yes, production houses can be dominating, but if you��re talented, your work will always get noticed,�� says Indrajit.

Actor and director Ramesh Aravind, who has done memorable movies like Duet,Sathi Leelavathi, Rhythm and Panchatantiram, feels there��s no need to panic. ��Ultimately, local expertise matters,�� he says. Ramesh also observes that there��s no way to bring down competition. ��It��s a free world and you can��t stop anyone from making movies. So, individual producers should pull up their socks and get ready for the competition,�� adds Ramesh.
Munish Purii, COO of Mirchi Movies, the first Bollywood production house to make a foray into the Tamil industry, says the decision the TFPC has taken will affect Tamil cinema business more and not them. The production company recently partnered with Tamil actor Prakash Raj and Moser Baer for the movie Vellithirai, also starring Prithviraj, Gopika and Lakshmi Rai. But the credit of producing the film was given only to Prakash Raj. Talking about the ban, Munish says, ��I don��t know why they��ve taken this decision. But, it won��t stop us from making regional cinema,�� he says. While production houses are perceived as a threat to individual producers, don��t Bollywood corporates feel threatened with Hollywood biggies showing interest in B-town? ��There��s a market for everyone here and people come knowing their capacities and interests. So I��d call this good competition. In fact, the Bollywood market will have more scope to develop now,�� Munish says.

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