Bangalore's filmi firsts

Today will see a record of sorts being set as Bangalore will get to see a Hollywood flick a week before its actual film release in India.
The said film, the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston-starrer Just Go With It, is a rom-com based on the 1969 film, Cactus Flower. The film was released in the US on February 11 and will be released across India next week.
While this may be the first time that Bangalore witnesses a preview so much earlier than the official release date of the film in India, this is not the first time that a Hollywood film has been released and previewed in Bangalore before the rest of the country. Over the last two years, several titles, including the rom-com The Bounty Hunter, the Adam Sandler and Salma Hayek comedy Grown Ups, the Oscar-winning The Social Network and more recently, Burlesque, have seen earlier previews in Bangalore.
“Bangalore’s theatres share a relationship with a distributor that is hard to replicate. The response from the city has always been positive and that may be why these films premiere in Bangalore first,” says Raj Sethia, an entrepreneur who has a lot to do with these films premiering in Bangalore. Most distributors are wary of negative reviews and Bangalore seems to be a safer option because this city is open to all genres of cinema and probably understands films better than most other Indian cities. “The audiences you find here are a lot more accepting to different forms of entertainment and you can find an audience for almost anything in Bangalore,” says Gaurav Vaz, a film buff, a musician and band manager. Sheetal Sukhija, a film buff and freelance writer agrees. “Bangalore welcomes and appreciates all genres and we’re a lot more open to any kind of cinema,” she says.
This trend is, however, not exclusive to Hollywood releases alone. The last few years have seen a few Bollywood releases coming to Bangalore before the rest of India, Mumbai included. Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey saw a Bangalore premiere a day before Mumbai, while more recently Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji saw a premiere in Bangalore before Mumbai.
“The directors and distributors look at Mumbai for their star-studded premieres. But when it concerns connecting with an audience for a light feeler of how a film might do, Bangalore’s the choice. We’re sure this trend will continue,” says Raj.