War for the screens: a new storm in Kollywood

A new storm is brewing in Kollywood, and this time, it’s over the release of Vijay Antony’s Thimiru Pudichavan. The makers of the film, which failed to keep its date with the theatres on Deepavali last week, have now announced that they will release the film on November 16. And this has not gone down well with the producers of the other films that are slated for release this week because they claim that the Vijay Antony-starrer is jumping the queue and eating into the theatres that were promised to them, and their business, despite not having the release approval letter from Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC).
According to the initial release schedule, Radha Mohan’s Kaatrin Mozhi (starring Jyotika), Rajbabu’s Sei (starring Nakkhul), Asif Kuraishi’s Utharavu Maharaja (starring Udhayaa and Prabhu), and Rajan Madhav’s Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 (starring Vidaarth) were supposed to hit screens this Friday. But with a fifth film coming in, and Vijay’s Deepavali release still holding good in theatres, thanks to the controversy around it, this could affect the number of screens each film gets.
In fact, Nakkhul and Udhayaa had expressed their displeasure at the sudden release announcement of Thimiru Pudichavan at a press meet, and with a press note respectively. An industry insider, on condition of anonymity, says, “Originally, Thimiru Pudichavan had asked for a Deepavali release, which they got, and they were supposed to come along with Billa Pandi and Kalavaani Mappillai. So, accordingly, four films were allocated for November 16, two for November 23, and 2.0 on November 29. The releases till December have already been scheduled. But, the makers of Thimiru Pudichavan said that they won’t come out on the first scheduled date and instead, announced that they will release their movie this weekend.”
He adds, “Once you miss the slot, you have to wait in queue for the next available slot. When Sarkar is already holding maximum number of screens, how can five films compete? Theaters are limited, and that’s a huge problem.”
Nakkhul tells us, “We’ve moved our objection to the council, and many industry people are supporting us. We have been waiting for a long time to release this film. I’ve been nagging my producer, asking him when Sei would release, and he kept telling me he was waiting for the release letter from the council. And now, when a person comes without the letter and says their film will release on that date, it’s quite a bummer. All I’m saying is that we need to adhere to the regulations set by the council. We’ve been given a letter by the council, saying our film can release on November 16. But, Thimiru Pudichavan had asked for a Deepavali slot. And when they couldn’t make it then, they should wait for their turn and not just decide on their own. I hear that one of the films (Chithiram Pesuthadi 2) is backing out, and that they have said that they want to get that slot now. It doesn’t work like that. I’ve no issues with Vijay Antony sir, or the team, and I don’t wish anything bad for them. But I don’t want any film to suffer because one of us is not adhering to the rules. It’s like, you are waiting in queue at the airport and someone just walks in and jumps the line… you feel like a fool standing in a line there. When we finished our promotions in Kerala, we were told that we have about 150 screens to release the film, and when we landed in Chennai after that, it’s like we may barely get 70! If this is the scenario, new producers will think twice before investing in Tamil films. It sends out a wrong signal. We are going by the books… it’s got nothing to do with small film and big film. It’s all about ethics. If that film was originally slotted for November 16, there’s no problem then. But now, it’s all about rules and ethics. So yes, Sei will definitely come out as planned.”
Udhayaa, an EC member of the TFPC, says that this sudden change in the release schedule has created a lot of confusion among distributors and theatre owners, and some have even stopped taking bookings. He adds, “The Release Regulation Committee had said that after Sarkar, only four medium and small budget films should release the next week. So, Sei, Utharavu Maharaja, Kaatrin Mozhi and Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 had applied for the dates and we have started our publicity routine. My film, Utharavu Maharaja, was supposed to release along with NOTA and 96, but because of some issues, we couldn’t come out then, and the council had allotted this date for my film. Vijay Antony sir wanted to release his film for Deepavali, but he couldn’t. So, it’s only right that he waits for the council to collectively decide and give him the next available date. But, there are ads saying his film is releasing on November 16, and theatres have stopped taking bookings. The problem is, with Sarkar still running, only 400-odd screens are free. If Kaatrin Mozhi gets 150, my film gets 125 and Sei gets another 100-plus screen, then it’s fair. But with Thimiru Pudichavan coming in, each of us will get a maximum of 40 screens. How can we release a film with that kind of screen availability? I’ve requested him to come out with his film on a date that council gives him. We are losing money every day in ads and publicity, and even in business. Who will compensate us for that? I heard that Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 is backing out, but even if that’s the case, I strongly feel that only these three films that were originally slotted should release. Vijay sir has good business, but small films are being released on our own. We are sure the council will support us. He is a friend, so, I’ve requested him to decide in such a way that small producers are not affected.”
Rajan Madhav, director of Chithiram Pesuthadi 2, tells us that he’ll know the details about his film releasing this week only on Monday. While we couldn’t reach Vijay Antony or Fatima Vijay Antony, who’s producing Thimiru Pudichavan, till the time of going online, a source in the know tells us, “The film is a bilingual, and the Telugu version is slated to hit screens on November 16. So, they are keen to release the Tamil version on the same date as well.”
Vishal, actor and president of TFPC, told us, “We are working to arrive at a conclusion. A final call will be taken today.”