Exhibitors from around the country weigh in on two-hour-48-minute run-time of Karan Johar’s Partition-drama; also discuss pros and cons of hiked ticket prices
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 16, 2019)

Karan Johar’s Partition drama Kalank, featuring Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, has been granted a U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an approved run-time of two hours and 48 minutes. And while the length may not keep the audience away if the story is engaging, some exhibitors are not too happy about it.

Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise in Jaipur, points out that as a result, each show will be approximately three hours and 20 minutes, if you include interval and ad time. “I will definitely end up losing revenue of one show every day,” he grouses, adding that it’s best to keep the runtime to two hours and 20 minutes.

Vishek Chauhan, the owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, agrees with Bansal that because of its length, Kalank “might eat into some of my revenue as shows will start earlier than usual, when the footfalls are low”. However, he points out that since even Avengers: Endgame which opens next Friday, April 26, is a three-hour-three-minute extravaganza, eventually it will boil down to the content.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Cinemas, reasons that Titanic, with its three-hour run-time, was a blockbuster. “People would’ve enjoyed it even if it was six hours long. And showcasing isn’t an issue as there is no dearth of screens with the growth of multiplexes,” he states.

Touted as one of Karan’s most ambitious productions, ticket prices have also, expectedly, been hiked by 10-15 per cent across the country. “It is an expensive film and to recover the money, the production house has instructed theatres to increase the rate,” informs Bansal, adding, “Films like Badhaai Ho, AndhaDhun and Uri did well because they were easy on the pocket and as a result got more footfalls in the long run.”

Chauhan isn’t worried about this, arguing that “films today have become a rich man’s entertainment” and pricing is no longer a deterrent. “They wouldn’t have watched Thugs of Hindostan even if the rates were halved. Similarly, they won’t go away if I charge Rs 330 instead of Rs 300 if the film promises to be a big screen experience,” he asserts.

However, Manoj Desai, the executive director of Bandra’s G-7 multiplex, is chuffed about surge pricing. “If it continues, these makers will have to screen their films on the moon. I just hope that given its long run-time, Kalank doesn’t live up to its title,” he says.

Gianchandani appears calm during the pricing storm. “The pricing will vary from theatre to theatre and will be in line with recent big releases. Curiosity around this film is massive,” he signs off.