Tamil releases create heartburn in Mollywood

This weekend, theatres in Kerala will witness an interesting phenomenon.
With a big budget Tamil starrer taking over all major theatres and multiplexes like never before, no major Malayalam film will be released. All prime shows in the nine screens of a major multiplex in Kochi will be screening the Vikram-starrer, reminding you of a similar scenario when a Rajinikanth film was released.Also, no major Malayalam film has been released in the past two weeks, as the makers were warned that they would have to take off films on January 14, come what may. The release of upcoming ones like Mili and Fireman has been pushed to later dates, with a possible clash of films coming up. Not surprisingly, voices of dissent are beginning to be raised from several quarters in the Malayalam film industry.
M’wood can’t compete with other industries
“We are a small industry and can’t compete with multi-crore films from other industries in terms of budget. As a result, the Tamil industry is beginning to dominate us and command our release dates as well. People should at least be given the choice between watching a newly released Malayalam film and a Tamil film. If this goes on, the Malayalam industry will be badly affected in the long run,” says Vijay Babu, actor and producer.
The phenomenon has been existing for a while now, but has reached an extreme situation now, seconds Major Ravi, whose film Picket 43 was supposed to release around this time. “It is a very disturbing situation indeed. It’s with great difficulty that a Malayalam filmmaker procures 50 or 60 theatres for his film. But the Tamil industry is huge, and can afford to make multi-crore films, as they are sure they can get them released in thousands of theatres all over the world. I don’t blame the theatre owners for looking out for profits, but the industry has become mercilessly revenue driven,” he says.
Clash of films leading to loss for all
Another consequence of other language releases is that all major films will release together afterwards, leading to a clash. “What we need is some kind of planning. Right now, all theatres have been locked for the Vikram-starrer, which is releasing in Kerala at the same time as in Chennai. Even if it turns out to be a flop and is taken out of theatres in a week, the pending Malayalam films can’t take over, as their release dates have already been fixed for later dates. It happened in the case of Lingaa and Kaththi, both of which did not run and led to empty halls and huge loss of potential revenue for Malayalam filmmakers,” he says.
Theatre owners can’t be blamed
According to Sabu Cherian, secretary of the producers’ association, theatre owners can’t be blamed, as they too need to stay in business. “All the Christmas releases turned out to be flops, and they needed something to rescue them. These Tamil stars are very popular in Kerala. From a commercial angle, it is inevitable that theatre owners opt for a film which promises guaranteed returns, regardless of the language,” he says. Kamal, an official from a multiplex in Kochi, says that the phenomenon is not restricted to Kerala. “The Vikram-starrer has been released in such a manner in Bengaluru and Hyderabad as well, albeit in their own languages, as dubbed versions. There is no rule currently which stipulates that a film in another language shouldn’t be screened in more halls than Malayalam films.”
Do we need a new law?
All feel that it is high time that some laws were made to regulate the influx of films from other industries. “Currently, there are no rules regarding what film can be released where, and it is the distributors who make the final call on everything. I’m not saying Tamil films shouldn’t be released here, but they shouldn’t use Kerala as a releasing centre. They should at least look at their box office quotient before taking them, so that people here will get some idea of how long they will run. Releases should be planned in such a way that each film gets its due.”
Major Ravi too feels that it is high time a higher authority stepped in. “The government should look into the matter and take a firm stance. As filmmakers, we have no choice but accept it as a reality. But at least some people should think differently and bring it to the notice of the government, only they can bring about a change,” he says.