Close on the heels of Udta Punjab appearing online two days before it opened, Indra Kumar's adult comedy is in a similar fix with the entire movie out on the web three weeks before its release
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 6, 2016)

Twenty days ago, the producers of Udta Punjab — Anurag Kashyap, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl—along with Balaji Telefilms' Ekta Kapoor lodged a complaint with Cyber Police Cell in Mumbai on June 15, alleging that their film had been leaked online, two days before its release. The Abhishek Chaubey-directorial, which was in a running battle with the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over its depiction of the drug problem in Punjab, was eventually cleared by the Bombay High Court with one cut and three disclaimers. It went viral via two separate links of the website Torrent.com. On downloading the movie, one learnt that the first censor copy had been stolen and uploaded on the site by user robby007.

Screenshots of the film's first 40 minutes were shared by the media and fans immediately. Four hours later, a leaked copy with the runtime of two-hours-20-minutes, the full length of the film, was discovered online. A day later, the Bombay High Court restrained cable TV operators and internet service providers from airing or circulating pirated copies but the damage was done and it lost some audience.

On Monday, a censor copy of the third instalment in the Masti series, Great Grand Masti was leaked online. The Riteish Deshmukh-Aftab Shivdasani-Vivek Oberoi-starrer is supposed to hit screens on July 22. Three weeks before, a high-definition print of the complete film's censor copy, of two-hours-14-minutes, along with full credit titles, has been leaked online and prints made available on several piracy sites.

Just a week ago, producer-director Indra Kumar in an interview to Mirror (June 29) had revealed that the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) had cleared his adult comedy with minor cuts and an 'A' certificate after it had been rejected by the Examining Committee of the CBFC. Pointing out that the 1952 Cinematograph Act has become outdated, he asserted that he is all for certification over censorship as it's more in tune with the Gen X that has access to all kinds of content online.

While Kumar did not respond to our calls or texts, and neither did coproducer, Balaji Telefilms CEO, Aman Gill, trade analyst Amod Mehra described the leak as "alarming", pointing out that since it had happened three weeks before the release, distributors who'd bought the film could refuse to take delivery if reports were unfavourable. "In such cases even the partner producer can refuse to pump more money into print and publicity," pointed out Mehra, who had confirmed the leak with somebody who had downloaded a copy.

Refusing to attribute it directly to the censor office, Mehra pointed out that earlier there were only UFO prints being made, but now with the many formats the chances of piracy are growing and anyone up to mischief can put a print online. "Already audio pirates in our neighbouring countries have closed down the music CD business, now they are targetting our movies," he rued.

Censor Board member Nandini Sardesai uses a line from Hamlet to describe what is happening, "Something is rotten in the Censor Board." She points out that even after a film is cleared by the FCAT in Delhi, it has to go to the censor office in Mumbai for the signature of the Chairperson and final certification. "These DVDs can be lying for hours, even days, unsealed, waiting, and there is many a slip between the cup and the lip with everyone from clerical staff and disgruntled employees having easy access," she reasons.

Advocate Samruddhi Porey, producer-director of the Marathi biopic Dr Prakash Baba Amte—The Real Hero, reveals that she had submitted her film to the censors twice after somebody raised objections to certain scenes. She sent back a copy with minor changes a second time which was known only to her and her editor. It was leaked online three weeks after the film's release.

"I'm sure it was leaked from the CBFC office, I have no idea why. I lodged a compliant with the police but nothing really came of it," she informed Mirror. Interestingly, even this leaked copy was a censor print while both leaked Hindi films are Balaji co-productions.

A source from the police added that when a complaint is filed with Cyber Police Station, the investigation progresses depending on leads. This can be a time-consuming process and the producer stands to lose a lot of money.

Mirror had earlier reported (March 17) that the highest-grossing Marathi film to date, Nagraj Manjule's Sairat, which had earned over Rs 50 crore in its second week, was leaked online in its third-week, another censor print. It's obviously happening in a narrow channel between the producer submitting the copy and the censor office sealing it.

Nittin Keni, one of the three producers, admitted that it affected business by at least 10 per cent as those who did not get tickets could download it. Also, non-Maharashtrians suddenly curious to see the film were lost to them. Keni had said that the only way out was encryption.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt informs that all DVDS are watermarked depending on which department they go to, whether it's editing, dubbing, background, VFX or a censor copy. He agrees that an encrypted file on a pen drive which only the regional officer has the password to is the way to curb this menace with immediate effect.

"There's money to be made on underground sites like Torrent which get a lot of the wrong kind of advertising. Someone has found a loophole in the process and is exploiting it. We will require sustained efforts from the film associations or a specially formed committee to deal with the crisis," he signs off.
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After Udta Punjab, Great Grand Masti falls prey to piracy three weeks before release
MID-DAY (July 6, 2016)

Great Grand Masti, part three of Indra Kumar’s adult comedy franchise Masti, was leaked online yesterday, three weeks ahead of its big screen release. The two-hour-something film is available on various movie downloading websites in highdefinition print along with credit titles.

The incident has evoked a sense of déjà vu — this is the second instance of a film making its way to the e-space within a space of just 20 days. Controversial Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab had also fallen prey to piracy two days before it hit theatres. The makers had immediately registered an FIR and the culprit, a Delhi- based tech junkie, was arrested a week later. Call it a co-incidence or quirk of fate, Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures is the co-producer of both films. At the time of going to press, no police complaint had been registered. The makers remained unavailable for comment.

Looks like the Hindi film industry needs to learn a few lessons from Marathi movies' business model — superior content, low budgets and zero reliance on stars. After all, the regional industry has registered 200 per cent profits last year
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; April 5, 2015)

The Marathi film industry seems to have everything going for itself. The number of releases has shot up over the last three years and so have the profits — all this without "superstars" or big budgets.

At the recently concluded annual session of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), a panel of producer and studio representatives stated that the regional industry had registered nearly 200 per cent profits in the previous year. The much bigger Hindi filmdom, which rides on claims of crores of rupees, the gain was a meagre 0.6 per cent.

Trade expert Komal Nahta says the Marathi filmdom is pegged to be a Rs 150 crore industry. "So, if we consider that they have made 200 per cent profits, that makes it approximately Rs 300 crore. However, I don't agree with such numbers as some films click with the audience and do well at the box office while others don't."

Last year, Ravi Jadhav (top, on left)'s 'Timepass' (pictured on top) raked in a record-breaking Rs 5 crore in its opening weekend. The film was made on a budget of Rs 1.75 crore and went on to earn Rs 30 crore, says the filmmaker, adding: "Planning is something that helps producers. We generally have a schedule of 30-35 days to complete a film. Marathi actors come from theatre, so they are disciplined and allot proper dates. Therefore, the budget of the film hardly goes beyond Rs 2 crore. The film narratives are simple and the shoot happens at real locations, which is why we don't have to spend too much money on the sets."



At the FICCI session, the unanimous view on Bollywood's dismal performance was that most filmmakers depend heavily on the "star system" — the three Khans, Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir — as it is a safe bet. Producers also have to bear the compensation of an actor's staff and spend heavily on the movie promotions, which have become an ego battle. Eventually, a project tends to go over budget.

"I don't know the methods of calculating profit. But I think an important factor working in favour of Marathi movies is how you control the budget and spend on publicity," says Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh, who turned producer for Marathi films with the superhit comedy drama 'Balak Palak' (pic, above) (2013). "In Hindi cinema, there is more competition and producers have to spend a lot of money on marketing, so recovering it all becomes difficult. Someone needs to break this strategy," he adds.



Sandeep Kulkarni, who featured in Nishikant Kamat's critically acclaimed film 'Dombivali Fast' (2005), feels the audience has been able to connect with recent Marathi films due to good content and music. "Films like 'Lai Bhaari' had a novelty factor which drew crowds to the theatres. It was also marketed well. In case of Hindi films last year, only 'Queen' could make profits as it was made on a small budget film and had a good story," says the actor, who will produce the sequel to 'Dombivali Fast'.

Director-producer Paresh Mokashi echoes his views, saying that Marathi culture has always supported good art, and the present-day filmmakers are in sync with the cultural milieu and aspirations of the audience. "Marathi films have never been a star-studded affair; people have always liked the way a story has been presented. So, films belonging to different genres like 'Lai Bhaari', 'Duniyadari', 'Elizabeth Ekadashi' and 'Fandry' have worked well," says the National Award winning filmmaker.

In the last few years, the regional film industry has handed out an assorted platter of coming-of-age films, social dramas, biopics as well as out-and-out masala movies for the masses, which have been a delight for the audience. And the winners, undoubtedly, have been the films with superior content.



Samruddhi Porey, who recently made a biopic on social activist Dr Prakash Amte featuring Nana Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni, says, "We have to face a lot of competition from Hindi and English films, but we are doing well because of quality and not quantity. Even though my film had a social message, it worked well commercially due to promotions. The producers these days are aware about where and how to promote their films and how much money they must spend. We did not go overboard with the promotions but the word-of-mouth buzz helped. The fact that we get subsidy from the government helps. The release date strategy and the absence of a star system also add to the profits."

Sources said the government subsidy for regional filmmakers is Rs 30-40 lakh.

BO toppers

Rs 40 crore
Total collection of 'Lai Bhaari' (pictured below); budget: Rs 8 crore

Rs 30 crore
Total collection of 'Timepass'; budget: Rs 1.75 crore

Rs 12 crore
Total collection of 'Dr Prakash Amte'; budget: Rs 2.5 crore

Rs 7 crore
Total collection of 'Elizabeth Ekadashi'; budget: Rs 1.5 crore