Producers' Guild says filmmakers compelled to move to OTT due to the uncertain times
Mohar Basu, Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; May 16, 2020)

On Thursday, Gulabo Sitabo became the first Bollywood film to bite the OTT bait, inviting the wrath of several exhibitors and distributors who felt betrayed that the makers had bypassed a theatrical release. Leading multiplex chain Inox immediately warned of "retributive measures" while PVR Cinemas urged filmmakers to hold off their projects till the theatres re-open. The rift only widened on Friday with Amazon Prime Video announcing the direct-to-web release of seven films, including Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi.

With two big releases — Sooryavanshi and '83 — waiting in the wings, trade sources indicate the industry has made losses upwards of Rs 600 crore, keeping in mind their domestic and overseas business, satellite rights, and OTT and music deals. The recent move has only added to the exhibitors' woes. "The distribution sector earns around Rs 75 crore from a big film, and about Rs 15 crore to Rs 25 crore from a medium-budget venture. Exhibitors and distributors are looking at a collective loss of around Rs 50 crore from Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi's OTT premiere," says a trade source.

Mohan Umrotkar, CEO, Carnival Cinemas, echoes the sentiment as he reasons that the two medium-budget films would have enjoyed strong footfalls once the theatres reopened. "Ayushmann Khurrana is having a golden run at the box-office, his film would have garnered close to Rs 75 crore. Couple that with Vidya's film, and the two would have generated close to Rs 95 crore at the box-office. So, we are staring at huge losses," he says.

However, he acknowledges that producers cannot wait indefinitely. "I understand there will be a rush of movies when the lockdown is lifted. That said, we were expecting them to stand by us because we are family."

Meanwhile, the Producers' Guild hasn't taken kindly to the aggressive stance adopted by Inox. Manish Goswami, vice-president, Guild, points out that producers have taken the step out of sheer necessity. "In such times, a stakeholder will only wait till a point, post which he will seek alternatives. After all, for the next six months, people won't have the confidence to go to theatres. They will not [take the risk of] community viewing unless it is a bumper project," he says.

Though refusing to take sides, trade analyst Taran Adarsh doesn't deny that filmmakers may be settling for less than their films' worth. "Assuming satellite deals stay intact, [the makers] are still losing out on their movies' overseas business. But my sympathies lie with the producers, who have been constantly asking about the possibility of theatres reopening. It's unfair to expect them to hold off their films [indefinitely]. It would help if producers and cinema owners enter a negotiation."



Will They? Will They Not?
Over the next few weeks, key players in the digital market may acquire the rights of several Bollywood films. Sources say makers of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Ludo and Jhund are in talks with streaming giants for a direct-to-web release. "They are all complete and awaiting release. Indoo Ki Jawaani, Roohi-Afzana and Shiddat are in the last leg of post-production and may explore the digital route," says a trade source.

Last month, this paper had reported that Akshay Kumar was contemplating releasing Laxmmi Bomb directly on Disney+Hotstar. "His films bring good revenue at the box-office," says Umrotkar, alluding that Laxmmi Bomb seeking an online release will be a severe blow for exhibitors.

Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 29, 2020)

The entertainment industry has rallied behind daily wage workers, its worst-hit section during the Coronavirus lockdown, with financial support and essentials. The Film and Television Producers Guild of India has handed over a cheque of Rs 1.5 crore to the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). Manish Goswami, vice president of the Guild, is hopeful more colleagues will come forward to help out.

Birendra Nath Tiwari, President, FWICE, informs that Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty have chipped in with Rs 51 lakh each, with contributions from Varun Dhawan, Aanand L Rai, Boney Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor too. “On Monday, 1600 members of the FWICE received Rs 3,000 each in their respective bank accounts. On Tuesday, we made 1,000 more transfers,” Tiwari informs, adding that Salman Khan has pledged Rs 18 crore to the cause and in late March, gave Rs 3000 each to 25,000 daily wagers (amounting to Rs 7.5 crore) through direct bank transfers. “In the first week of May, he will give the remaining Rs 10.5 crore.”

Usha Kamat, who is a junior artiste affiliated to the FWICE, is one of the workers to be compensated by the film body. “First, they had ration (wheat flour, rice, dals, sugar and salt) delivered to our houses. Then, some of us got Rs 3000 in our accounts late last month. Even Aditya Chopra has given Rs 5000 each to around 3000 FWICE members (Rs 1.5 crore),” she says.

Pradip Kumar Verma, who works as an extra in films and TV, informs that he received Rs 3000 from FWICE on Monday.

Kapur, Mishra and Advani were among those who initiated the dialogue around the plight of daily wage workers

As state government announces lockdown, initiatives announced by the Producers' Guild, FWICE to help daily wage workers hit a roadblock
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; March 25, 2020)

A week since the Producers' Guild announced the setting up of a relief fund for the daily wage workers and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) promised to distribute groceries and other essentials, there has been little progress on the initiatives. The associations' best intentions have hit a roadblock with the state government imposing Section 144 from Monday.

Manish Goswami, vice president, Producers' Guild, says, "Not every daily wage worker has a bank account, so they would have to come and collect the money. At this point, an assembly of four to five people is not allowed, so we can neither gather [those in need] nor conduct meetings."

The association set up an account last Wednesday, encouraging industry folk to contribute to the fund. Soon, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam K Ahuja and other stars urged everyone in the industry to do their bit. Ask him if the Guild has accumulated a handsome amount during the week, and Goswami says, "We have received verbal commitment from many, but since the production houses are shut, they have not been able to make the transactions. Hopefully, we will get clarity on March 31; then, the funds will start coming in and we can distribute them."

Among the filmmakers who had pledged support to the daily wage workers was Nikkhil Advani. Madhu Bhojwani, partner, Emmay Entertainment, rues that the process has slowed down. "While our intention is very much intact, the execution has been impeded in terms of resources," she says.

In the wake of the janta curfew on March 22 and the subsequent lockdown, the FWICE had to call off their week-long plan of distributing groceries among those affected by the suspension of shoots. Birendra Nath Tiwari, president, says, "At the moment, the only way to help them is to give a door-to-door service [but that is not feasible]." While several television studios have come to their aid, he rues, "No Bollywood actor has offered help yet."

On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown. The move, though necessary, will further affect the daily wage workers.

An Act Of Kindness
Even as he relentlessly rallies behind the daily wage workers, Anubhav Sinha took the lead in distributing food grains to the needy. On Monday, the filmmaker took to Twitter and called for volunteers who can help him in distributing ration across the city. Actor Ronit Roy was one of the first to lend him support in the initiative.

The unexpected shutdown has left producers with a lean bank of show episodes; new launches cancelled, but makers promise daily wage workers won’t suffer
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 21, 2020)

In the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak, various associations governing the film and television industry in India issued a directive halting production from Thursday, March 19, to Tuesday, March 31. Even though this is seen as a ‘for the time being’ measure, the TV fraternity is bracing for tough times ahead.

“A decade ago, producers would have a bank of episodes in the eventuality of work coming to a halt on a show. But today, when the narrative has to keep changing depending on the ratings, it’s not possible to bank episodes for more than a week,” points out an industry veteran, adding that if the unexpected shutdown continues beyond the month-end, channels will have no option but to re-run old episodes till things return to normal.

Benaifer Kohli, the producer of Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain! and Happu Ki Ultan Pultan, is realistic when she says, “A number of countries across the world have reached the third stage, we haven’t. If India is able to flatten the curve, it will take a fortnight to get back into the groove. Right now, work is the last of my concerns. If people don’t live, how will they work? We must ensure that everyone is protected. Even my spot boy can contact me at any time if he needs help. Prevention is the only cure and in such a situation, it’s not about me or you but about us as one. We as Indians have overcome the biggest calamities and I’m sure we will this time too.”

Rajan Shahi was to launch his new show, Anupama, last Monday, March 16. A day before, along with the channel, Star Plus, he took the call to cancel the launch. The producer-director whose other shows, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (YRKKH) and Yeh Rishte Hain Pyaar Ke (YRHPK), are on air on the same channel, informs that the new one was slotted for 9 pm, followed by YRKKH and YRHPK. “But now we will continue broadcasting the ongoing shows with fresh content. But since we don’t have a large bank, we have fresh content only till next week. We will take stock of the situation next Monday (March 30). Even though we have footage, we could edit only till Thursday (March 19) after which I had to close my office due to the shut down. I won’t be able to get any more editing done till March 31, going by the present directive,” he sighs.

Given the pressure of delivering daily content, several production crews were working frantically till the last hour. Meera Deosthale (right), the leading lady of Vidya, shares, “In the last few days, we have shot as much extra footage as possible, with three teams shooting at three locations simultaneously. The producers and the channel ensured we had a doctor on each set, in case anyone had cough, cold or fever. The necessary precautions and the importance of hygiene was explained and we were given sanitisers and masks. Now, we’ve been told to stay at home and avoid travel after work halted on Thursday.”

Given that daily wage earners in production are the worst hit, producer Mahesh Pandey has paid advance wages and ensured that every worker has been given a substantial amount of ration to tide over the tough phase.

Actors, too, are extending their support to their staff, from drivers and spot boys to hair stylists and make-up artists. “Why should daily wage earners face problems if work is halted for no fault of theirs?” asserts Beyhadh 2 (left) actor Shivin Narang. “If I take a break from work, I can’t shirk the responsibility of paying my staff’s salaries. Considering this is a pandemic, we must stand by our people.”

Reality shows are badly hit as well. Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, which was launched last month, has run into rough weather. An inside source tells us that the show, on which Paras Chhabra and Shehnaaz Gill were looking to find suitable partners for themselves, has been stalled.

With people cooped up indoors and most shows running without a bank, viewers may soon have to make do with re-runs. “Even Bigg Boss (Season 13) will be aired again for a while. The situation is changing daily and with the government sparing no efforts in trying to control its spread of the virus, we will take stock of the situation on March 30,” admitted the source, reiterating that the paramount concern was not monetary losses, which will run into crores, but the safety and well-being of the team.

“From broadcasters, producers and directors to actors, technicians and unit members, we’re all in this together and doing our bit to help. The industry’s spirit always reinforces itself during a crisis,” Rajan Shahi avers. Manish Goswami (right), vice-president of the Film & TV Producers Guild of India that has initiated a relief fund for daily wage workers, says, “At present our priority is to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread, the next 10 days are crucial. The Guild has initiated a fund for the workers and we’re appealing to the fraternity to come forward and help. Once we collect a substantial amount, we will start disbursing the money to the workers.”


Rupali Ganguly and Sudhanshu Pandey in Anupama, the launch of which was cancelled a day before it went on air

Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 16, 2019)

Earlier this year (April 20), Mirror had informed that Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s cult comedy, Chupke Chupke, was being remade by Bhushan Kumar and Luv Ranjan with Rajkummar Rao reprising the role of Professor Parimal Tripathi aka Pyaare, essayed by Dharmendra in the original. We have now learnt that that after the producers decided to remake the 1975 original, they realised that they didn’t have the title as Manish Goswami had registered it for his production house long ago.

“However, when Bhushan’s company approached him, he immediately issued a ‘No Objection’ letter to the Film and Television Producers Guild of India as he didn’t have a suitable script ready,” informs a source, saying Manish has earlier given the title to Ekta Kapoor for her Ayushmann Khurrana and Nushrat Bharucha starrrer, Dream Girl. “We’re industry colleagues, so, we should help one another in times of need,” said Manish.

MID-DAY (November 15, 2014)

Thirty years ago, Doordarshan (DD) laid the foundation of Indian television entertainment and ruled air waves with memorable serials like Hum Log, Buniyaad, Fauji and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharat. With the advent of satellite television in the late 90s, which spawned 100 channels and more, and soaps in Hindi and other languages, DD was relegated to the background. But with the Narendra Modi government’s increasing emphasis on state-run media, a revamp seems to be in order for the public broadcaster.

On November 12, newly-appointed minister for information and broadcasting, Arun Jaitley met some top notch TV producers, seeking their support for creating content for Doordarshan. About a dozen production houses were earmarked by his ministry and called for the meeting. Some of the big names that participated in the meet included JD Majithia, Kalyan Guha, Sanjoy Wadhwa, Abhimanyu Singh, Nikhil Alva and BP Singh.

A source says, “Jaitley chaired the meeting and wanted to know why all the big producers have stayed away from Doordarshan. Most of them work for general entertainment channels (GECs) and they put forth their reasons. He also spoke about intellectual property rights (IPR) sharing by the producers who work with DD besides touching upon the amendment of the Indian Copyright Act and quality programming which would focus on family content and give out a social message.” The minister is also believed to have said that his ministry would work on improving the technology in reaching out to the audience at a lesser cost.

Majithia, who attended the meeting, says, “It is encouraging to note that the ministry wants to bring back the glorious days of Doordarshan and has asked for our participation in the process.” Talking about the reasons for keeping away from creating programmes for DD, the producer says: “Budget is a big issue. There is also an ambiguity over the date of submission of pilot episodes for the clearance of a show for Doordarshan. But, the minister has promised to increase the budget and bring in more transparency. Further, in case of an extension of a serial, DD used to sanction 13 weeks which is now planned to be increased to 26 weeks.”

Producer Manish Goswami expressed dissatisfaction over the present system of DD. “As per its new policy, it has started working on the Revenue Sharing Model (RSM) whereby the producer gives DD a fixed opportunity cost and bears the production cost of the programme. In return, he gets 240 to 300 seconds for free sale of advertisements to market his programme, that too after consultation with DD. The IPR is also the property of DD so it’s a win-win situation for the channel; there’s no benefit to the producer,” he explains.

Goswami adds that RSM was difficult to way to work is to commission shows with a better budget "if they want to improve the quality of shows,” he suggests.

Kalyan Guha, who produces Uttaran, shares his reasons for those of his ilk not being active on DD. “They have now started new schemes for commissioned programming and it is being displayed on the website. The ministry’s proposal to restore the lost glory of Doordarshan is definitely a good sign for us as we will get another platform to work on. Of course, for DD the parameters are different from those of GECs as it has to be more about content enrichment and include a social message. We will be more than happy to work with DD,” he says.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 29, 2014)