If you caught the Oscars a week ago, you saw Mark Boal pick up the Academy Award for writing "The Hurt Locker". Be sure to check out the videos of him answering questions from the StoryLink Community shortly before his big win:
http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=102333436077
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A Backwards World?
By Anant Mathur (17 March 2010)
This week I want to write about a thought that came into my mind a while ago when I was thinking about how backwards the world we live in is.
Think about all that we go through in life and then we end up being 60 or 70 years old and are unable to enjoy anything. We have finally reached the pinnacle of life and have the means to do whatever we want and nothing needs to be done. The children are all grown up, house is paid for, there’s a BMW parked in the driveway. All we can do is find new ways of spending our salaries or pensions.
For most of us, life goes something like this…
But throughout this cycle there are a lot of heartaches and pain, the number one problem being that we never seem to have enough money to pay for the needs of our children. And I think the system is to blame for that.
The way I see it, the system needs to change, instead of getting a low income when we’re in our 20s and it gradually going up as we’re promoted and get older, wouldn’t it make more sense if we get paid a higher income in our 20s and we can save for the future instead of struggle through life. Think about it, why do we need to be paid $150,000 in our 60s? When our kids have left or are working and the only person we have to support is our spouse.
We start out in our 20s making, let’s say, approximately $25000 or so per year. Part of that goes for the student loan(s) we took out to complete our education, some goes towards that piece of junk parked in the driveway, majority of it goes towards rent and groceries, and if there’s anything left over we might go grab a beer with our friends and bitch about how we hate our job, our boss and how underpaid we are.
So, wouldn’t it make more sense to be making $150,000 (per year) when we’re in our 20s, we can enjoy spending time with our kids without the worry of how we will pay for their Braces, Piano Lessons, iPod, xBox, or in certain cases that operation they really need. We'll have no worries about mortgage payments, and we can drive a BMW while we're young, instead of when we're in our 60s and too afraid to go fast. And as we get older we have money saved, so we can start getting paid less. In our 30s we make an average of $100,000 per year. In our 40s we make $70, 000, and $50,000 in our 50’s. By the time we make it to our 60s the average yearly income drops to $30,000 or $25,000. Then when we retire, we get our pensions, the same as in the other system. Doesn't that seem like a more interesting approach to how we should be living?
But the way we’re brainwashed into life, people will wonder what the hell is wrong with me. They want to get paid more not less as they progress through life and work harder and harder. But to them I say… wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where we felt like we belonged instead of strugglin’ and bitchin’ our way through life?
This week I want to write about a thought that came into my mind a while ago when I was thinking about how backwards the world we live in is.
Think about all that we go through in life and then we end up being 60 or 70 years old and are unable to enjoy anything. We have finally reached the pinnacle of life and have the means to do whatever we want and nothing needs to be done. The children are all grown up, house is paid for, there’s a BMW parked in the driveway. All we can do is find new ways of spending our salaries or pensions.
For most of us, life goes something like this…
- We’re born
- We go to school and get an education.
- After we graduate we look for a job
- Once a job is secured we find that perfect mate (if we haven’t already) and get married.
- Then we have children.
- We help our children get the best possible education so they can get a great job.
- Once our kids find a great job, they leave the nest and start the cycle again or we live with them through their cycle until we’re dead.
But throughout this cycle there are a lot of heartaches and pain, the number one problem being that we never seem to have enough money to pay for the needs of our children. And I think the system is to blame for that.
The way I see it, the system needs to change, instead of getting a low income when we’re in our 20s and it gradually going up as we’re promoted and get older, wouldn’t it make more sense if we get paid a higher income in our 20s and we can save for the future instead of struggle through life. Think about it, why do we need to be paid $150,000 in our 60s? When our kids have left or are working and the only person we have to support is our spouse.
We start out in our 20s making, let’s say, approximately $25000 or so per year. Part of that goes for the student loan(s) we took out to complete our education, some goes towards that piece of junk parked in the driveway, majority of it goes towards rent and groceries, and if there’s anything left over we might go grab a beer with our friends and bitch about how we hate our job, our boss and how underpaid we are.
So, wouldn’t it make more sense to be making $150,000 (per year) when we’re in our 20s, we can enjoy spending time with our kids without the worry of how we will pay for their Braces, Piano Lessons, iPod, xBox, or in certain cases that operation they really need. We'll have no worries about mortgage payments, and we can drive a BMW while we're young, instead of when we're in our 60s and too afraid to go fast. And as we get older we have money saved, so we can start getting paid less. In our 30s we make an average of $100,000 per year. In our 40s we make $70, 000, and $50,000 in our 50’s. By the time we make it to our 60s the average yearly income drops to $30,000 or $25,000. Then when we retire, we get our pensions, the same as in the other system. Doesn't that seem like a more interesting approach to how we should be living?
But the way we’re brainwashed into life, people will wonder what the hell is wrong with me. They want to get paid more not less as they progress through life and work harder and harder. But to them I say… wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where we felt like we belonged instead of strugglin’ and bitchin’ our way through life?
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Avatar is weak to say the least!
By Anant Mathur (March 06, 2010)
Normally this blog is meant for Bollywood topics, but I couldn't resist taking this opportunity to talk about a film that has broken records and wooed the world over.
Most of the times before a movie is even released, I can tell by watching a trailer, how good or bad a film is going to be. And after watching the trailer for Avatar, the first thought was, “I can’t believe James Cameron made this. It looks horrible.”
But something strange happened - once the film was released it became an instant hit with the audience. Even the critics were giving it 5/5 or 10/10, calling it a must see or the greatest thing in modern era of filmmaking. Some even called it the future of movies. So, after hearing so much about it for weeks, I finally decided to see Avatar - the highest grossing film ever.
I have enjoyed more than a few James Cameron films over the years. Terminator is a work of sci-fi genius. Abyss created an interesting world and was filled with tension. Terminator 2 is an action masterpiece and has what I believe to be the best special effects of all time. Even Titanic was far better than I expected it to be and has one of the most beloved romances in a movie.
So after 12 years it would not be an overstatement to expect an outstanding James Cameron film. Still, even after hearing so much about Avatar, I wasn’t too excited about watching it. So going into it, I had very low expectations, and you would think that by the end of Avatar I would be feeling a little higher than when it started. Sadly, it wasn’t so. I was very disappointed with the film.
The biggest problem I have with Avatar is that it lacks creativity. It is literally Dances with Wolves in space. There’s nothing wrong with taking an idea and remaking it, Hollywood recycles old ideas all the time. Remaking
As far as the 3D goes, I mean what was the point. This is not a film that is required to be seen in 3D. Films like Spy Kids 3 and Shark Boy and Lava Girl are great in 3D but in Avatar 3D is wasted. You don’t even notice the 3D in Avatar and the 3D goggles become a nuisance. 3D doesn’t make this film any better or any worse, just more expensive. If expensive motion-capture used to cover up a thin storyline is the future of cinema then the future seems very bleak.
Like most movies these days Avatar is way too long, glossing the details (why the Earth is dying, what Unobtainium does, etc) and instead spending time on flight scenes, enchanting ceremonies, spirit trees and bonding with nature.
The research is very pathetic in this film (not something I’d expect from a James Cameron film, since research is usually very good in his films). In Avatar, we’re told Unobtainium is supposed to be mined underground - below the trees? As far as I know there are two types of mining, Surface mining and Sub-Surface mining. In surface mining you destroy vegetation and dirt in order to reach buried deposits. In sub-surface mining (which is what they seem to be talking about in Avatar) you dig tunnels or shafts into the earth to reach buried deposits. So if they’re talking about sub-surface mining then what’s with destroying the trees? There’s no need for that. Also, the story goes completely away from obtaining unobtanium to a killing spree for no apparent reason whatsoever!
I’m very disappointed with the number of 10/10 reviews the film is getting. It only shows that people have no idea what a good story is these days, they’re only interested in eye candy and Avatar has plenty of that. The story is so predicable it’s depressing to know James Cameron thought this was a good idea. Dances with Wolves isn’t the only film Avatar borrows from, perhaps a more accurate example would be Enemy Mine (1985) or Pocahontas (1995). The battle between Humans and Aliens (and the chosen one saving the day) has been around for decades and makes the ending very predictable. The script is so weak at times it feels like it was written by monkeys. The dialogue is so bad it forces you to raise your palm to your face in disgust. If anything this film lowers the intellect of the audience. The aliens win the final battle and the lead character is amalgamated into one of them, ooh big surprise there!
It’s heartbreaking to know that most of the 10/10 reviews for Avatar are based on Visual Effects. In my opinion, the visual effects are alright, I don’t think they’re as mind boggling as they’re being made out to be. Very few VFX movies have the kind of effects that can stand the test of time, the one exception being Terminator 2, even today they look fresh. The bottom line is, in 20 years, the visual effects of Avatar won’t be talked about. If you have ever played any computer games you will agree that several things have been taken out of PC games, like Command and Conquer, Heroes of Might and Magic, Warcraft, etc. Basing reviews solely on visual effects is just so wrong.
I don’t really care if people continue to make mindless movies like Avatar, that’s just fine, everyone has a right to make what they want. But please don’t make them out to be the greatest thing ever, when they truly are not! Avatar doesn’t even belong in the top 1000 films of all time, let alone being the highest grossing film of all time. I saw this film because of what everyone was saying about it. I should have stuck to my guns and gone with what I said after watching the trailer and not seen it. If you haven't seen it, consider yourselves lucky. If you have, please don't recommend this film to anyone based on the Visual Effects.
And that's all I have to say about it!
Avatar is weak to say the least! (Part 2)
By Anant Mathur (March 08, 2010)
Well the proof is in the pudding as they say!
Last night at the 82nd Academy Awards (The Oscars), Avatar, which was nominated for 9 Oscars, got snubbed big time; receiving only 3 awards and those too in the visual category (Art Direction, Cinematography & Visual Effects). This just proves the point I was trying to make, Avatar is just eye candy, good visually but no soul. Not surprising that the film wasn't nominated for any of the awards in the acting or writing categories. Just the mere fact that it didn't even win any awards for sound should tell you how unimportant Avatar is!
By the end of the night, it was almost a certainty that Avatar wasn't going to win for Direction or Best Picture, both of which went to The Hurt Locker along with the sound editing, sound mixing, film editing and Original Screenplay awards. Sandra Bullock received Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side and Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for Crazy Heart. Mo'Nique won Best supporting Actress for Oprah's Precious which also received the Best Adapted Screenplay award. The other top award for Best Supporting Actor went to Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds (a film I believe is at least 100 better than Avatar and only received one award because The Hurt Locker received the other 6 it was nominated for).
It's good to see that the folks at the Academy Awards got away from the popularity of the big budget blockbuster films to determine the awards and decided to give the important awards to lower budget films like The Hurt Locker, Crazy Heart, The Blind Side and Precious, which in my opinion truly deserve it over an unoriginal piece of crap like Avatar.
Congratulations, Kathryn Bigelow for becoming the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Every Story Doesn’t Need To Be Told!
By Anant Mathur (February 05, 2010)
It seems these days, especially with the availability of Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, iPhones, and god knows what else - every Indian celebrity, no matter how small, has an opinion. Honestly, who gives a flying pig about what these celebrities have to say!
I’m normally a calm person, but there are a few things in this world that really piss me off!! This time it’s the Indian media and their constant struggle to leave things alone. Why can’t they understand that every story doesn’t need to be told!
Like the recent so called “controversy” surrounding Shah Rukh Khan and the Pakistani cricketers. All he said was “Pakistani cricketers need to be part of the IPL 3,” but such a comment from a world renowned celebrity was unacceptable to Shiv Sena. They expressed their discontent over the actor's comments saying SRK has insulted the 26/11 martyrs. What the Pakistani cricketers have to do with the 26/11 victims, is something that boggles the mind. Let the Indian intelligence agencies figure out who the terrorist is. Unless intelligence reports say Pakistani cricketers are terrorists, they should be allowed to play. This isn’t even a story worth anyone’s time (weren’t Pakistani players part of IPL1), besides who cares what Shah Rukh wants to do. Why would you report this?
If Shah Rukh really wants Pakistani players in IPL3 why didn’t he select them for his team?
Shiv Sena is also saying they won’t let Shah Rukh’s film My Name Is Khan release unless he offers an apology. They’re tearing down posters of My Name Is Khan. Oh dear lord… not the posters, I’m so afraid. Yeah, boo hoo, Shah Rukh is in trouble; lets all go watch his film so he feels better, they tore down the posters, posters people! Now we have to see this film! The more money he makes the better he'll feel.
Why do controversies like this always happen when a film is about to be released? Why don’t they happen when an actor has no release in sight for months?
I’m willing to bet all my Monopoly money that come next Friday the film will release regardless of what Shiv Sena does. Why? Because all of this is a publicity stunt and Shiv Sena is in on it with Shah Rukh and company. These imbeciles should be careful tearing up the posters – what if they get a paper cut? Who will save them from bleeding to death?
I actually wanted to see this film before all this nonsense started; now I’ve lost all interest. I’m just hoping this stunt backfires on them and no one goes to see the film when it is released next Friday. Then at least they’ll have a reason (the Shiv Sena) for the film flopping and won’t have to defend the fact it was the story that was lousy.
Recently, Pooja Bhatt said that she supports Shah Rukh Khan’s stand and is happy because he’s not giving-in to the Shiv Sena. Oh, how nice! Or could it be that she’s only doing this because her own film Kajraare which releases next month and stars a Pakistani actress may go through similar controversy and she would like to garner the support of Shah Rukh Khan and company. That deserves an “hmmm”, don’t you think.
Pooja Bhatt went on to say that she’s surprised that Karan Johar and Shah Rukh’s other friends don’t stand up and support him. Here’s some news for you miss Bhatt, “they’re in on it with the Shiv Sena, it’s all a publicity stunt”. Besides, Karan Johar is the biggest sissy on the planet do you really think he has the guts to stand up to anyone?
I honestly don’t give a rat’s behind what Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar or any other celebrities’ political beliefs are or what they do in their private life and their opinions hold the least bit of interest for me. Do they care what you, I or the next person has to say? Will they visit your Twitter page and post a reply to your opinion each time you post something? They need to leave their opinions for their friends, family and colleagues like every other man, woman and child on the planet.
All I want from these “actors” is “acting”, that’s all nothing more, just a few lines of dialogue which might sound nice on the screen or make me wanna puke and say that was horrible, but again that’s my opinion! You may not agree with it, and that’s your opinion! There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion just as long as it’s not the story of the day, week or month.
With the kind of money these celebs are making I’m sure their day can be better spent than wasting time on Twitter. How about going out and handing some food and blankets to the poor and hungry or going to the hospital to visit the terminally ill. If you want free publicity there’s a way, and you might get yourself into heaven too! Oh and if your really pressure them, I’m sure the hospital will give you a humanitarian of the year award just for showing up!
Actually, you can’t just blame the celebs; it has to be shared equally by their friends in the media who put them in the news. Don’t news agencies have editors anymore?? How can any gibberish be published or broadcasted? What ever happened to having a good Editor-In-Chief? 90 percent of the reports that are published or broadcasted aren’t even news, its rubbish dished out by celebs or more likely their publicity agent and/or producers of their upcoming film. You have to remember folks, every story that the media preys on these days is usually given to them as a press release by publicity agents, producers or the celebs themselves. Media people, especially in India, are too stupid to go out and find stories on their own. This is why every celeb is friends with someone in the media; they know exactly who to dish their bullshit to.
When it was just Doordarshan no one cared what the celebs were doing, only news and facts were reported. Now with so many news channels its all about competition, journalists (a term I use very loosely on these idiots) have no integrity, who ever can get something from a celeb first will get published or broadcasted, it doesn’t matter what the content is, what matters is how popular or unpopular the celeb is.
It’s like Coca Cola, does it really matter what the content of their ad is, as soon as you see the logo; you know what the product is. In this case, as soon as fans of a celebrity see the name of their favourite celeb, they’ll click and watch or read what the fuss is all about. This is the kind of power celebs have and it’s this same power they abuse with the help of the media. Celebs today feel it’s important to get into bed with media because they can help them rise to the top.
Bollywood celebs need to smarten up before the audience gives up on them. There’s only so much people will take before everything starts to sound fake, as it does now, sadly no one has noticed as yet! But pretty soon people will stop believing anything these celebs have to say or sell and realize that all these controversies are publicity stunts!
Honestly, if a celeb really wants to impress us with their actions, they should go help a person in need instead of wasting their time on Twitter. Go help a poor man build a home or console a parent who lost a son that was defending the country. And do it when your film isn’t up for release or elections aren’t approaching. You have the money and the power is in the palm of your hands! You can point fingers or lend a helping hand, the choice is yours!
A parting though…
The last I checked (which was right before writing this article) India was a democratic republic. And as such it has a constitution which lists Fundamental Rights for Indian citizens, these rights include: Freedom of Speech and Expression. Freedom of Speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation. Freedom of Expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.
Oh dear god, can this be true?
By George, it is!
Well if it’s written in the constitution then arrest these Shiv Sena bastards, because they’re breaking the law by stopping a citizen from exercising these freedoms. It is our constitutional right to speak our mind. And if any one has a problem with that… too friggin bad! Hang the bloody Shiv Sainiks for using the name of a god in vain, they’re nothing like Shiv or Sainiks – they’re no better than a third-rate terrorist group whose bark is worse than the bite!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Leaked! Are You Kidding Me?
By Anant Mathur (January 20, 2010)
Yesterday (January 19, 2010) I came across an article about the upcoming film Tera Kya Hoga Johnny and how it was leaked on the internet. This article really bothered me about the irresponsible media and film producers trying to fool it's audience. I recommend that you read the article before continuing, it can be found at the following link:
Now that you've read the article, let's continue.
This article really irritated me, so much so that I decided to write about it. I mean, is the Indian Media really so stupid that they don't understand viral marketing. I don't think so... In fact, I know they're a part of it. Perhaps the Indian audience isn't aware of what Viral Marekting is and these fools are taking advantage of it.
If you're unaware of it, Viral Marketing refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. Viral promotions can take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. Launched in 2002, BMW Films was among the earliest viral marketing campaigns. It attracted nearly 55 million viewers and helped to elevate the career of Clive Owen.
In our example, nobody knew that the film Tera Kya Hoga Johnny was on YouTube until the Media announced it. After reading the article I went to YouTube, but TKHJ had been removed, interestingly though, it only had 2141 views, which is quite low by YouTube standards, so why the panic? I mean, two thousand people watching a film on YouTube aren't really going to effect the out come of the film's release, these same people would probably watch pirated DVDs of the film anyways. People who want to watch the movie in the theatres don't care if it's on YouTube and don't believe for a second that the producers don't know that!
The part I found extemely interesting was that the YouTube user who uploaded the file, TKHGatSominal14, joined YouTube on January 18, 2010 and the leak was already in the news on January 19th - So, how many people could've known by the time media found out, Zero would be my guess.
The truth is, it was uploaded by producers for free publicity (YouTube pirates don't just upload just one movie) and the Media was part of a press release to advertise it. The fact is people read the article and went to YouTube just as I did. When the number of views hit 2000 people, the producers decided to remove it. I mean, don't tell me people go to YouTube looking for upcoming Hindi films that are leaked? What a bunch of bull crap!
This is just a publicity stunt which the producers believe the dumb Indian public will fall for! They're probably right, but it still doesn't justify doing it.
Leaked? Are u kidding me!!!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
What a hypocrite!!!
By Anant Mathur (June 06, 2007)
I was pretty bugged today. In the morning I was reading the newspaper and came across an article written by Pritish Nandy former journalist and currently the owner of the production house Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC). In his article Nandy wrote about how Mumbai is changing and he doesn’t like the way people are treating used book sellers who sell books on the roadsides of Mumbai.
Mr. Nandy mentioned it’s a part of the Mumbai culture and how Mumbai is loosing its identity because of things like this. Even street food vendors are being asked to get off the streets. All that made sense, but what really got me riled up was that he’s talking about the heritage of Mumbai and how people are forgetting the old way of life which shouldn’t be forgotten, then a few moments later I came across another article which spoke of PNC starting 3 new multiplexes in the next year. I mean talk about hypocrisy the guy is preaching about the old ways and then on the other hand he himself is out to destroy the way we watched films in single screen theatres. Isn’t that a part of the Mumbai culture and aren’t we destroying that by going to Multiplexes. If you're for heritage and culture why not try and save some of these single screen theaters rather than opening up multiplexes.
I for one think Mr. Nandy needs to grow up. If he thinks that we should not forget our culture. Perhaps he should be the one we need to start with. What say Mr. Nandy? How about bringing back single screen with cheap ticket prices where the masses can enjoy films, instead of going with the trend of high price Multiplexes which profit the owners and which are foreign to our culture and our beloved city of Mumbai
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Is Bollywood out of stories or is it just a myth?
By Anant Mathur (May 28, 2007)
I don't know about you but I find it very amusing when I see press interviews with Bollywood stars, producers and directors about their forthcoming films. I mean they all say the same thing, it's an original story, the Indian audience has never seen anything like it, etc. etc. I mean give me a break, from the first frame of the same film it's very obvious where the film's story has been copied (or inspired as they like to say in Bollywood) from. Surprisingly, gone are the days when media used to write about how Indian filmmakers are copying stories from the west. These days producers and directors openly admit which Hollywood film they have copied and the media has no problems with it.
Even a film like Dhoom 2 which has been copied from countless Hollywood films (eg. Mission Impossible) does well at the box office. I guess producers don't really care about what the story is as long as it does well. But at some point they need to seriously think about what they are doing. One day, I would love to see Hollywood copy our films and not the other way around. It's happening with music. Even with music our desi music directors have copied many tunes and have never been sued. But the moment a foreign band (Truth Hurts) uses an indian song (Kaliyon Ka Chaman) as part of their song we sue them and not just sue...our guy (Bappi Da) wins! Woah! What's up with that. Now wouldn't it be great if we could accomplish that with our films also.
Sometimes I really wonder how some films even get made. I mean who really thinks that films like Red Swastika, The Challenge, MP3 - Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Kabhi Socha Bhi Na Tha, Ghutan, Dharm, Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, Chooriyan, Kaise Kahe, Fear, Darling, Kaafila and Jahan Jaaeyega Hamen Paaeyega are going to set the box office on fire. Most likely many, if not all, these films will be big flops. Why even bother guys. There are way too many new directors in Bollywood these days and not many with talent. We need better writers, better stories and better direction which can only come from people who are talented not Madhuri Dixit's secretary who has decided to make films or Amitabh Bachchan's make-up man who thinks he has the best story in the world to tell.
Bollywood complaints that there are no good stories. But the moment a new writer or director approaches a production house with fresh ideas, the first thing they're asked is who's in it? Which star do you plan to have? Who will do the music? Choreography? etc. etc. I mean, Shahrukh Khan's butler probably has a better chance of getting a film made in Bollywood than a talented writer/director. Simply because he knows Shahrukh and can use his connections and Shahrukh will likely work in his film for a huge pay cut. I mean it makes you sick in the stomach to think the way Bollywood works. Mindless producers, hopeless directors and talentless writers getting a chance simply because they know a Superstar.
In Bollywood as long as you kiss the a$$ of the right people, your film will be made. There's no talent required here. The talented ones are pushed aside because they don't know anyone. Hopefully this is something that will change because until Bollywood starts making new stories, no one is going to take them seriously. Bollywood is finally being recognized the world over and it's high time that Indian filmmakers come up with their own ideas for stories and not copy Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Wyler, Wells, Cuckor and the gang from Hollywood. There is a dearth of original screenplays in Bollywood and too many "inspired" films are being made. Talent is required to make good films not who you know or who knows you. It's time to do away with the a$$ kissing and time for some Hollywood a$$ kicking. What say?
I don't know about you but I find it very amusing when I see press interviews with Bollywood stars, producers and directors about their forthcoming films. I mean they all say the same thing, it's an original story, the Indian audience has never seen anything like it, etc. etc. I mean give me a break, from the first frame of the same film it's very obvious where the film's story has been copied (or inspired as they like to say in Bollywood) from. Surprisingly, gone are the days when media used to write about how Indian filmmakers are copying stories from the west. These days producers and directors openly admit which Hollywood film they have copied and the media has no problems with it.
Even a film like Dhoom 2 which has been copied from countless Hollywood films (eg. Mission Impossible) does well at the box office. I guess producers don't really care about what the story is as long as it does well. But at some point they need to seriously think about what they are doing. One day, I would love to see Hollywood copy our films and not the other way around. It's happening with music. Even with music our desi music directors have copied many tunes and have never been sued. But the moment a foreign band (Truth Hurts) uses an indian song (Kaliyon Ka Chaman) as part of their song we sue them and not just sue...our guy (Bappi Da) wins! Woah! What's up with that. Now wouldn't it be great if we could accomplish that with our films also.
Sometimes I really wonder how some films even get made. I mean who really thinks that films like Red Swastika, The Challenge, MP3 - Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Kabhi Socha Bhi Na Tha, Ghutan, Dharm, Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, Chooriyan, Kaise Kahe, Fear, Darling, Kaafila and Jahan Jaaeyega Hamen Paaeyega are going to set the box office on fire. Most likely many, if not all, these films will be big flops. Why even bother guys. There are way too many new directors in Bollywood these days and not many with talent. We need better writers, better stories and better direction which can only come from people who are talented not Madhuri Dixit's secretary who has decided to make films or Amitabh Bachchan's make-up man who thinks he has the best story in the world to tell.
Bollywood complaints that there are no good stories. But the moment a new writer or director approaches a production house with fresh ideas, the first thing they're asked is who's in it? Which star do you plan to have? Who will do the music? Choreography? etc. etc. I mean, Shahrukh Khan's butler probably has a better chance of getting a film made in Bollywood than a talented writer/director. Simply because he knows Shahrukh and can use his connections and Shahrukh will likely work in his film for a huge pay cut. I mean it makes you sick in the stomach to think the way Bollywood works. Mindless producers, hopeless directors and talentless writers getting a chance simply because they know a Superstar.
In Bollywood as long as you kiss the a$$ of the right people, your film will be made. There's no talent required here. The talented ones are pushed aside because they don't know anyone. Hopefully this is something that will change because until Bollywood starts making new stories, no one is going to take them seriously. Bollywood is finally being recognized the world over and it's high time that Indian filmmakers come up with their own ideas for stories and not copy Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Wyler, Wells, Cuckor and the gang from Hollywood. There is a dearth of original screenplays in Bollywood and too many "inspired" films are being made. Talent is required to make good films not who you know or who knows you. It's time to do away with the a$$ kissing and time for some Hollywood a$$ kicking. What say?
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Trailing!
By Anant Mathur (May 21, 2007)
Is it just me or do you also get pissed off when you see hindi film trailers? I mean what is it with just showing songs? A trailer's purpose is to sell the film. But the way hindi films are being promoted they sell the songs and not the film. When you look at trailers in Hollywood and other countries around the world, they may not reveal the story but they are interesting. A few good ones that come to mind are Spiderman Trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Fantastic Four, Shrek, . They didn't necessarily reveal the story but they made you want to go and see the film and that's the point really. Isn't it?
I think the problem with hindi films bombing at the box office is that they don't promote them well enough. A two minute trailer featuring on Music channels with a hot item number isn't going to get people to come see your film, it will sell music albums, but it won't bring people to the cinema halls. A trailer needs to be interesting enough to make me wanna go hmmm...It's Friday afternoon and oh yeah...I remember this really cool trailer I saw last night and wanted to see this movie lets see what my friends are doing tonight. Trailers have the power to make me call up my friends or family to see if they want to have an evening out at a multiplex.
In Hollywood, if a film costs 100 million dollars to make, they spend 20-30 million on promotion, a prime example of this is the recently released James Bond Casino Royale. Casino Royale cost 102 million dollars to produce and had a Ad budget of close to 44 million dollars. The end result is that it made over 167 million dollars in the U.S. alone, recovering it cost and making a little bit of profit, internationally it made over 462 million dollars, that's a total of close to 600 million dollars. That's more than 4 times what was spent on production and marketing. And this is before the DVD release. If so much money is put into a film it only makes sense to market it well.
I think Indian filmmakers need to do a makeover on the way films are marketed. A lot of good films suffer because their music just isn't interesting and because we are only shown the songs in the trailer we don't go to see it. If filmmakers really want to copy something from the West, copy their style of marketing and promotion, not their screenplays. In the end, a film which is market well will provide greater profit than a film which is not. No matter how good or bad the story is marketing is key to the success of films. That's why a lot of bad films make money in Hollywood. It's all about getting audiences into cinema halls. A place where Indian filmmakers seem to be (pardon the pun) trailing far behind...
Is it just me or do you also get pissed off when you see hindi film trailers? I mean what is it with just showing songs? A trailer's purpose is to sell the film. But the way hindi films are being promoted they sell the songs and not the film. When you look at trailers in Hollywood and other countries around the world, they may not reveal the story but they are interesting. A few good ones that come to mind are Spiderman Trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Fantastic Four, Shrek, . They didn't necessarily reveal the story but they made you want to go and see the film and that's the point really. Isn't it?
I think the problem with hindi films bombing at the box office is that they don't promote them well enough. A two minute trailer featuring on Music channels with a hot item number isn't going to get people to come see your film, it will sell music albums, but it won't bring people to the cinema halls. A trailer needs to be interesting enough to make me wanna go hmmm...It's Friday afternoon and oh yeah...I remember this really cool trailer I saw last night and wanted to see this movie lets see what my friends are doing tonight. Trailers have the power to make me call up my friends or family to see if they want to have an evening out at a multiplex.
In Hollywood, if a film costs 100 million dollars to make, they spend 20-30 million on promotion, a prime example of this is the recently released James Bond Casino Royale. Casino Royale cost 102 million dollars to produce and had a Ad budget of close to 44 million dollars. The end result is that it made over 167 million dollars in the U.S. alone, recovering it cost and making a little bit of profit, internationally it made over 462 million dollars, that's a total of close to 600 million dollars. That's more than 4 times what was spent on production and marketing. And this is before the DVD release. If so much money is put into a film it only makes sense to market it well.
I think Indian filmmakers need to do a makeover on the way films are marketed. A lot of good films suffer because their music just isn't interesting and because we are only shown the songs in the trailer we don't go to see it. If filmmakers really want to copy something from the West, copy their style of marketing and promotion, not their screenplays. In the end, a film which is market well will provide greater profit than a film which is not. No matter how good or bad the story is marketing is key to the success of films. That's why a lot of bad films make money in Hollywood. It's all about getting audiences into cinema halls. A place where Indian filmmakers seem to be (pardon the pun) trailing far behind...
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Sexy or Sleazy?
By Anant Mathur (May 14, 2007)
There is a trend in the Indian Film Industry where all filmmakers are showing what could only be described as half naked women in the films. They’re confusing sexy with sleazy. Sexy doesn’t mean you show girls in bikinis. Sexy is an attitude.
But(t) why?
What's the point of all this sleaze? Is it just to sell some movie tickets? Is there really such a dearth of good stories that they have to stoop to this? Do filmmakers believe that people won’t come and see their film if they don’t have these half naked women? I don't think that's true, at least I hope not, otherwise the industrywala's are in big trouble. They can't start thinking this way.
Remember, yash raj films made Neal n Nikki, arguably the sleaziest film to come out of their camp, but it bombed like anything at the box office. They also made Veer-Zaara, which didn't have a Mallika Sherawat item number or any women in bikinis and yet was a huge hit. Veer-Zaara made more money than probably all these sleazy films combined. The audience has spoken.
Remember, yash raj films made Neal n Nikki, arguably the sleaziest film to come out of their camp, but it bombed like anything at the box office. They also made Veer-Zaara, which didn't have a Mallika Sherawat item number or any women in bikinis and yet was a huge hit. Veer-Zaara made more money than probably all these sleazy films combined. The audience has spoken.
I was travelling in a Scooter Riksha towards Juhu Beach a couple of days ago when a bus passed us by. The driver of the Rik saw an ad for OK magazine, featuring a half naked girl with a baby in her arms, on the back of the bus. He just started off after that, saying how can the government allow such sleaze on buses don't they know that children are seeing these things and how much of a bad influence it is for them. As we continued on the road he pointed out billboards which had similarly dressed girls posing for different products. He continued to say that if this doesn't stop people will get the wrong idea, then they complain about how crime is on the rise. Some servant raped a girl or someone broke into a home and raped someone. The government has to draw the line somewhere. How can girls pose like this? He continued on until I reached my destination. He was right in everything he said. He is the common man. The common man has spoken. He doesn't want to see sleaze. Not in films and certainly not on our streets where every man, woman and child has access to these almost pornographic images.
Filmmakers need to keep in mind that India
Having lived in Canada for the last 20 years, I know very well that the NRI audience for hindi films in Canada and the U.S.
Yes, I’m sure like other things, there is a market for sleaze also. But, It’s probably the same market that watches porn. If filmmakers want to make sleaze why not make porn and call it what it is, just keep it out of the commercial films. The audience for commercial films wants quality. I for one can easily say that I don’t watch that many hindi films now. I used to watch at least 20 films a year in the cinema hall. Now that’s probably down to about 5 a year, I have stopped watching hindi films simply because they’re no good. I don’t want to see sleaze. If a quality film comes along I’ll go see it, but I don’t want to waste my money on sleaze which has no relation to the story of the film or on films without a good story and girls showing their assets. I’m the perfect example of what happens when good films are not made. People won’t watch sleaze no matter how well it’s promoted. I’m sure sleazy films are making money, but I doubt they're making as much as they would if they had a good story instead.
I guess these days directors are happy If their film runs for a week and makes a little bit of money as long as they don’t loose money, it’s all good. But what they fail to realize is that the audience is mature enough to know what a good film is and they will make more money if they make quality films rather than these sleaze-fests. We don't need producers and directors telling us sleaze is art, we all know they’re making these films for their own titillation. If they really want to show their talent they don't need sleaze, but i doubt these directors and producers have any talent. Sexy doesn't mean half naked women, sexy is an attitude, if only these guys would learn english and understand that. Sad, isn’t it!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Whatever happened to Movie Titles
By Anant Mathur (May 11, 2007)
I Remember the good old days...When there used to be a mystery in film titles. Hollywood still has it, but the Indian film industry seems to be loosing it. Whatever happened to titles like Mughal-E-Azam, Sholay, Shaan, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. Titles that didn't give the story of the film away. Today we have titles like Neal n Nikki, Big Brother, Kabul Express, Traffic Signal, Salaam-E-Ishq, Jaan-E-Man, Corporate, Life In a...Metro, Good Boy Bad Boy, Honeymoon Travels, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Mr. Hot Mr. Cool, Just Married, Vivah, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana, and Apna Sapna Money Money (I wonder what this one is about...duh!).
I don't know about you but I prefer not to know the story of a film before I see it...That way I have no expectations of how good or how bad it is. When I see it, I'll decide if I like it or not. What's the point of seeing the film if you can figure out the story from a trailer or from reading the synopsis or worst yet...from the title of the film. There should be a mystery to a film, I should be curious about what the story might be and that curiosity will make me buy the ticket come Friday night. If I know a film is about an underworld don, the mystery is gone, there have been hundreds of films made on underworld dons, why should I see this one? What makes this one better than the others?
I mean if a story is about cops does it really need to be called Police Force? Apna Sapna Money Money tells me right away what I can expect from the movie and I already start thinking about whether I want to watch a film like that, so come friday...I just say no, I don't think so. When you have a title like Sholay or Shaan, you don't know what to expect from the film. But the titles are so powerful and mysterious, it makes you curious.
These days filmmakers are under the assumption that if we tell the audience what the film is about via a synopsis they will come and watch the film. I personally think it has the opposite effect. If I read a synopsis, I will know what the story is about and have my own expectations from the film before entering the cinema hall. If the film doesn't live up to what I expected it to be I will not like it. Then I will tell all my friends and relatives that the film is horrible, don't see it. I don't think that's what the filmmakers want. There should be a mystery in the way films are advertised and marketed, whether it's the Title, the Trailer, The PR, The Ads, The Synopsis (which is really not required), filmmakers need to re-think their strategy. If they want the audience to come and see their films, give us a reason, and no...half naked girls in a song or love scenes are not a good enough reason, not for the real movie buffs at least - these are the people who see more than ten film a year in a cinema hall. So keep the mystery alive and the audience will keep coming back. In the film Field of Dreams it is said "If you build it, he will come". Same thing goes for filmmakers, if you build up a mystery about your film, the audience will be curious and the curiosity will fill the seats...
I Remember the good old days...When there used to be a mystery in film titles. Hollywood still has it, but the Indian film industry seems to be loosing it. Whatever happened to titles like Mughal-E-Azam, Sholay, Shaan, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. Titles that didn't give the story of the film away. Today we have titles like Neal n Nikki, Big Brother, Kabul Express, Traffic Signal, Salaam-E-Ishq, Jaan-E-Man, Corporate, Life In a...Metro, Good Boy Bad Boy, Honeymoon Travels, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Mr. Hot Mr. Cool, Just Married, Vivah, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana, and Apna Sapna Money Money (I wonder what this one is about...duh!).
I don't know about you but I prefer not to know the story of a film before I see it...That way I have no expectations of how good or how bad it is. When I see it, I'll decide if I like it or not. What's the point of seeing the film if you can figure out the story from a trailer or from reading the synopsis or worst yet...from the title of the film. There should be a mystery to a film, I should be curious about what the story might be and that curiosity will make me buy the ticket come Friday night. If I know a film is about an underworld don, the mystery is gone, there have been hundreds of films made on underworld dons, why should I see this one? What makes this one better than the others?
I mean if a story is about cops does it really need to be called Police Force? Apna Sapna Money Money tells me right away what I can expect from the movie and I already start thinking about whether I want to watch a film like that, so come friday...I just say no, I don't think so. When you have a title like Sholay or Shaan, you don't know what to expect from the film. But the titles are so powerful and mysterious, it makes you curious.
These days filmmakers are under the assumption that if we tell the audience what the film is about via a synopsis they will come and watch the film. I personally think it has the opposite effect. If I read a synopsis, I will know what the story is about and have my own expectations from the film before entering the cinema hall. If the film doesn't live up to what I expected it to be I will not like it. Then I will tell all my friends and relatives that the film is horrible, don't see it. I don't think that's what the filmmakers want. There should be a mystery in the way films are advertised and marketed, whether it's the Title, the Trailer, The PR, The Ads, The Synopsis (which is really not required), filmmakers need to re-think their strategy. If they want the audience to come and see their films, give us a reason, and no...half naked girls in a song or love scenes are not a good enough reason, not for the real movie buffs at least - these are the people who see more than ten film a year in a cinema hall. So keep the mystery alive and the audience will keep coming back. In the film Field of Dreams it is said "If you build it, he will come". Same thing goes for filmmakers, if you build up a mystery about your film, the audience will be curious and the curiosity will fill the seats...
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Wired For Action!
By Anant Mathur (August 20, 2003)
There was a time when movie stunts were fun to watch. A time when the stunts seemed like the real thing. A time when action sequences were filled with excitement. That time is slowly fading away; we are now in an age of wired stunts. Jackie Chan, perhaps the most popular actor, known for doing his own stunts, is no longer doing his own stunts. His new film "The Medallion" is a prime example of wired stunts. Jackie Chan, action superstar, is hanging on wires in "The Medallion". A man who made a name for him, doing his own stunts, is hanging on wires, it's a damn shame!
Gone are stunts like…Bruce Willis jumping from a multi-story building and breaking through the window in "Die Hard". These days, stunts are done on wires. The actors fly through the air and fight each other, doing all sorts of ridiculous looking spin moves in the air. For one the stunts look totally fake, you can easily tell when the actor is on wires. Secondly, there's no creativity in stunts anymore, they all look the same, every new film seems have the same stunts. It's not fun or exciting, rather, it's quite boring to see. I personally, hate watching these films. The worst part is when they show these stunts in slow motion, it is the dumbest thing on film; it looks even worst than at actual speed.
It all started with a film called Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I have no idea why this film was so successful, but ever since the wire stunts in this film…Hollywood has gone bonkers for wire stunts. And now the trend seems to moving towards Bollywood. "Aawara Paagal Deewana" had wire stunts a-plenty. But Bollywood is playing it smart, they're at least putting an effort into making the stunts look real. In this respect, Bollywood is one step ahead of Hollywood. It is safe to say that Bollywood stunts look far more realistic these days than Hollywood films. Kaante, The Hero and Aawara Paagal Deewana are a good example of this, made at a fraction of the cost of Hollywood films; these motion pictures have better story, acting, direction and stunts.
There was a time when Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan would do stunts and would make it seem like it was all happening for real. That time seems to be fading away, perhaps they're trying to keep actors safe or maybe just trying out new technologies. Whatever the reason, I still prefer the "old school" way of doing stunts to these wired gizmos. I want to see Sunny Deol, Shahrukh Khan and Bruce Willis jump from rooftops, doing car chases, and dance on top of a speeding train; that's what films are all about.
Perhaps Hollywood and Bollywood should take a look back once in a while and realize that they shouldn't tamper with things that don't need fixing. Hopefully, these wire stunts will be just a fad and fade away quickly and we will have the good old stunts back and be able to enjoy action films once again!
There was a time when movie stunts were fun to watch. A time when the stunts seemed like the real thing. A time when action sequences were filled with excitement. That time is slowly fading away; we are now in an age of wired stunts. Jackie Chan, perhaps the most popular actor, known for doing his own stunts, is no longer doing his own stunts. His new film "The Medallion" is a prime example of wired stunts. Jackie Chan, action superstar, is hanging on wires in "The Medallion". A man who made a name for him, doing his own stunts, is hanging on wires, it's a damn shame!
Gone are stunts like…Bruce Willis jumping from a multi-story building and breaking through the window in "Die Hard". These days, stunts are done on wires. The actors fly through the air and fight each other, doing all sorts of ridiculous looking spin moves in the air. For one the stunts look totally fake, you can easily tell when the actor is on wires. Secondly, there's no creativity in stunts anymore, they all look the same, every new film seems have the same stunts. It's not fun or exciting, rather, it's quite boring to see. I personally, hate watching these films. The worst part is when they show these stunts in slow motion, it is the dumbest thing on film; it looks even worst than at actual speed.
It all started with a film called Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I have no idea why this film was so successful, but ever since the wire stunts in this film…Hollywood has gone bonkers for wire stunts. And now the trend seems to moving towards Bollywood. "Aawara Paagal Deewana" had wire stunts a-plenty. But Bollywood is playing it smart, they're at least putting an effort into making the stunts look real. In this respect, Bollywood is one step ahead of Hollywood. It is safe to say that Bollywood stunts look far more realistic these days than Hollywood films. Kaante, The Hero and Aawara Paagal Deewana are a good example of this, made at a fraction of the cost of Hollywood films; these motion pictures have better story, acting, direction and stunts.
There was a time when Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan would do stunts and would make it seem like it was all happening for real. That time seems to be fading away, perhaps they're trying to keep actors safe or maybe just trying out new technologies. Whatever the reason, I still prefer the "old school" way of doing stunts to these wired gizmos. I want to see Sunny Deol, Shahrukh Khan and Bruce Willis jump from rooftops, doing car chases, and dance on top of a speeding train; that's what films are all about.
Perhaps Hollywood and Bollywood should take a look back once in a while and realize that they shouldn't tamper with things that don't need fixing. Hopefully, these wire stunts will be just a fad and fade away quickly and we will have the good old stunts back and be able to enjoy action films once again!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Why Do Hindi Films Flop?
By Anant Mathur (July 03, 2003)
You know, I have been thinking about why Hindi Films are flopping one after the other. Here's what I came up with...
One of the reasons of course is Piracy! But think of the piracy problem in North America, you can download Hollywood Films days after they hit the theater in the U.S., yet they still make hundreds of millions of dollars. This is what I couldn't understand. How can this be! It's easier to get pirated Hollywood Films than Hindi Films. Yet Hindi Films are loosing more and more money every year. WHY??
One day, I was reading the Entertainment section of a leading Toronto newspaper and I happened to notice that every Movie Ad had something good to say about it. They said, "It's the biggest movie of the Summer" or "One of the best comedies" or "the most anticipated film of the year" or "An Exhilerating thrill ride" or "two thumbs up" or something else to this effect. None of the ads said that it's a piece of crap or don't watch it or anything negative about the film.
Then I read the reviews of the films and most films got a horrible review, hardly any films were considered hits or blockbusters. Yet these films were grossing in the hundreds of millions. WHY? It didn't make any sense! These films had good things written about them in the ads and got crappy reviews. The good things in the ads were from reputable sources like "Time Magazine", "The New Yorker", "Ebert & Roper", etc. So either the critics didn't know what they were talking about or the Ads were lying! Well, in some cases the critics were right and the movies were crap. So why call it "the best movie of the summer" if it's not? Well, that's advertising for you. Most films are marketed really well in the North America. The producers make you feel that you're going to see an amazing film. How else do you explain Ang Lee's "Hulk" raking in 62 Million dollars in the first weekend. I mean, the incredible Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby looked better than this stupid movie and that was over 2 decades ago. I believe the movie version of "Hulk" is a couple of steps backwards for Hollywood.
The other big part of the Hollywood Film marketing is product placement and merchandising. Film producers get a lot of money from advertisers for product placement and merchandising all of which helps pay for the film. There are toys, calendars, pens, books, clothes and lots of other things available with the logos and images from movies. I recently read that Rajshri Productions has done some merchandising for "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon" which will be available exclusively through Pantaloons, all over india. Hopefully more hindi films will follow this trend and recover some money this way.
The number one problem with Hindi Films is that there's nothing good written about the films. The day the movie is released, the reviews are out and if a film gets a bad review, you can bet it won't do good business. In North America, reviews are out a week after the films release, so a film has some hope. Like in the case of "Hulk" after its first weekend of release, even if the reviews are bad it doesn't affect its release, because the film has recovered its money in the first week and is considered a hit. Hence, the Hindi Film critics should wait a week before posting their reviews about Hindi Films. This way films will recover most of its money in the first week and its up to the audience to decide which film is a hit.
Another problem is the release of the film, in North America, movies get a very wide release. For example, Matrix Reloaded was released in over 8,000 theatres as compared to Devdas in 500. I believe that a film only holds interest for a certain period of time. Even when I want to watch a movie, if I haven't seen it in the first few weeks of its release, chances are I will forget about it and loose interest later on. The reason I brought up this point is that if Hindi films are released in wide release as the Matrix Reloaded. First of all, there will be less housefuls and people won't have to think about coming back another day. Even if the theatres aren't full, the film will be playing in so many theatres in the first week that it will recover its money.
The final problem I want to talk about is Piracy! Hollywood films are released on DVD about 4-6 months after a films theatrical release, yet we expect Hindi Films to be out the next day. I don't think this is fair, if you want to see a movie so badly go to the theatre, its always better on the big screen. Films are released on DVD every week so there's no shortage of films. We all know that Hindi Films are available on pirated DVD and video, the day after its release. Only distributors are to be blamed for this, because there's no way for anyone to get a copy of the film unless its given by the distributors. The Producers Association recently went on strike in India to fight this, not releasing any film for quite a few weeks, the distributors lost a lot of money because of the strike and it forced them to come to terms with the producers about piracy. That's a step in the right direction for this problem, but more still needs to be done. Another problem with piracy is that a video store owner only buys one copy of the DVD and makes several pirated copies himself to sell and rent on DVD and VHS. This way the video store owner makes more money and the distributors lose money. So, if a film could recover cost on video, it doesn't because all the money is going into the pockets of the video store owner. And because the distributors lose money, they start raising the price of DVDs and people don't buy them because they're too expansive, its a vicious circle. The only solution I see for this is having a chain of video stores, like Blockbuster and others in the North America. This way it can be controlled and made sure that each store buys a certain number of licensed DVDs for rent and sale.
Gone are the days of films lasting for 30 or 50 or 100 weeks in a theatre. Very few films can do that today, whether its Hollywood or Bollywood. But there's no need for any good film to lose so much money. I believe that every movie that is released is loved by atleast one person in the world, whether its good or bad, there's one person who thinks of it as his/her favourite. A big change is going on right now in the Hindi Film Industry, there's a new generation of Directors, Writer, Actors and Technicians. These people need a stage to showcase their talent, and if their films are to be successful, they need the support of the audience, people need to watch films in theatres and buy only the Orignal Audio and VHS/DVDs. Only then can we have successful and well made films.
You know, I have been thinking about why Hindi Films are flopping one after the other. Here's what I came up with...
One of the reasons of course is Piracy! But think of the piracy problem in North America, you can download Hollywood Films days after they hit the theater in the U.S., yet they still make hundreds of millions of dollars. This is what I couldn't understand. How can this be! It's easier to get pirated Hollywood Films than Hindi Films. Yet Hindi Films are loosing more and more money every year. WHY??
One day, I was reading the Entertainment section of a leading Toronto newspaper and I happened to notice that every Movie Ad had something good to say about it. They said, "It's the biggest movie of the Summer" or "One of the best comedies" or "the most anticipated film of the year" or "An Exhilerating thrill ride" or "two thumbs up" or something else to this effect. None of the ads said that it's a piece of crap or don't watch it or anything negative about the film.
Then I read the reviews of the films and most films got a horrible review, hardly any films were considered hits or blockbusters. Yet these films were grossing in the hundreds of millions. WHY? It didn't make any sense! These films had good things written about them in the ads and got crappy reviews. The good things in the ads were from reputable sources like "Time Magazine", "The New Yorker", "Ebert & Roper", etc. So either the critics didn't know what they were talking about or the Ads were lying! Well, in some cases the critics were right and the movies were crap. So why call it "the best movie of the summer" if it's not? Well, that's advertising for you. Most films are marketed really well in the North America. The producers make you feel that you're going to see an amazing film. How else do you explain Ang Lee's "Hulk" raking in 62 Million dollars in the first weekend. I mean, the incredible Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby looked better than this stupid movie and that was over 2 decades ago. I believe the movie version of "Hulk" is a couple of steps backwards for Hollywood.
The other big part of the Hollywood Film marketing is product placement and merchandising. Film producers get a lot of money from advertisers for product placement and merchandising all of which helps pay for the film. There are toys, calendars, pens, books, clothes and lots of other things available with the logos and images from movies. I recently read that Rajshri Productions has done some merchandising for "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon" which will be available exclusively through Pantaloons, all over india. Hopefully more hindi films will follow this trend and recover some money this way.
The number one problem with Hindi Films is that there's nothing good written about the films. The day the movie is released, the reviews are out and if a film gets a bad review, you can bet it won't do good business. In North America, reviews are out a week after the films release, so a film has some hope. Like in the case of "Hulk" after its first weekend of release, even if the reviews are bad it doesn't affect its release, because the film has recovered its money in the first week and is considered a hit. Hence, the Hindi Film critics should wait a week before posting their reviews about Hindi Films. This way films will recover most of its money in the first week and its up to the audience to decide which film is a hit.
Another problem is the release of the film, in North America, movies get a very wide release. For example, Matrix Reloaded was released in over 8,000 theatres as compared to Devdas in 500. I believe that a film only holds interest for a certain period of time. Even when I want to watch a movie, if I haven't seen it in the first few weeks of its release, chances are I will forget about it and loose interest later on. The reason I brought up this point is that if Hindi films are released in wide release as the Matrix Reloaded. First of all, there will be less housefuls and people won't have to think about coming back another day. Even if the theatres aren't full, the film will be playing in so many theatres in the first week that it will recover its money.
The final problem I want to talk about is Piracy! Hollywood films are released on DVD about 4-6 months after a films theatrical release, yet we expect Hindi Films to be out the next day. I don't think this is fair, if you want to see a movie so badly go to the theatre, its always better on the big screen. Films are released on DVD every week so there's no shortage of films. We all know that Hindi Films are available on pirated DVD and video, the day after its release. Only distributors are to be blamed for this, because there's no way for anyone to get a copy of the film unless its given by the distributors. The Producers Association recently went on strike in India to fight this, not releasing any film for quite a few weeks, the distributors lost a lot of money because of the strike and it forced them to come to terms with the producers about piracy. That's a step in the right direction for this problem, but more still needs to be done. Another problem with piracy is that a video store owner only buys one copy of the DVD and makes several pirated copies himself to sell and rent on DVD and VHS. This way the video store owner makes more money and the distributors lose money. So, if a film could recover cost on video, it doesn't because all the money is going into the pockets of the video store owner. And because the distributors lose money, they start raising the price of DVDs and people don't buy them because they're too expansive, its a vicious circle. The only solution I see for this is having a chain of video stores, like Blockbuster and others in the North America. This way it can be controlled and made sure that each store buys a certain number of licensed DVDs for rent and sale.
Gone are the days of films lasting for 30 or 50 or 100 weeks in a theatre. Very few films can do that today, whether its Hollywood or Bollywood. But there's no need for any good film to lose so much money. I believe that every movie that is released is loved by atleast one person in the world, whether its good or bad, there's one person who thinks of it as his/her favourite. A big change is going on right now in the Hindi Film Industry, there's a new generation of Directors, Writer, Actors and Technicians. These people need a stage to showcase their talent, and if their films are to be successful, they need the support of the audience, people need to watch films in theatres and buy only the Orignal Audio and VHS/DVDs. Only then can we have successful and well made films.
If you know of any store(s) that sells pirated video please click here to report them.
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
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