Big budget movies in Gollywood

Fine production aesthetics and roping in good talent in Gollywood have led to considerably big budget movies in the pipeline
Thinking ‘budget’ is what G-Town filmmakers and producers seem to be involved with in 2012. And it’s not about limiting the budget of a Gujarati movie to `25 lakh or less. With the wallet getting bigger, movies with a budget of `1 crore have set benchmarks in Gollywood.
Many in the local film industry consider the year 2011 to be the turning point where average budget of most Gujarati films with a powerful cast came to about `75 lakh. While the first quarter of 2011 saw top grossers like Pran Jaye Pan Preet Na Jaye and Man Mor Bani Thanghat Kare being made with a decent budget of `70 lakh and `75 lakh respectively.
The schedule diary of actors like Hitu Kanodia, Hiten Kumar, Mona Thiba, Jeet Upendra, Kiran Acharya and Pranjal Bhatt is already packed with their shoot itinerary. For Hitu, 2012 is going to be a more dynamic year with three back-to-back releases hitting the floor. The three movies which the actor is currently shooting for are said to be made with a decent budget of `1 crore each.
For Hitu, this is going to mark a positive development in the industry where increasing the budget of a movie not only requires courage but also requires moral support from the distributors also. “Maa Umiya Padhhaarya Maara Aangne is being made with a budget of `1.25 crore, while Kaydo and Sajan Tane Mara Sam have been allocated a budget of `1 crore each,” says Hitu who adds, “It is an encouraging trend that there is money which is only going to increase the quality of the movies.”
Echoing the same sentiment, Hiten Kumar says, “If money is being pumped into our films like this for one more year, Gujarati films will receive a good facelift, for sure. Let’s face it, quality comes with good budget.” At the same time the story and narration too should be given equal importance, feels actor Jeet Upendra. “Budget goes along with the story. If the story revolves around glossy stunts, a contemporary backdrop, then budgets vary accordingly. Marketing also affects movie budgets. It is how you intend to release the movie through press conferences and pre release promotions that also affect the post production budget of a movie. In fact, it requires a lot of planning,” says Jeet.
Young filmmaker Naitik Raval, who recently released his movie Chaar (made with a budget of `60 lakh), says, “A decent Gujarati film can be made with a budget of about `75 lakh. I think this figure is ideal because you can cast the best of the actors in the industry with it.” Mona is perked up about the scope that high budget movies offer. “Change is obvious in the industry. In the years to come, more movies with big budgets will enable the industry retain talent,” she says.
Seems like it’s going to be boom time again for G-Town with promising filmmakers making different moves.