Even after four decades in the film industry, the way Paresh Rawal chooses a film is the same as it was on day one. Even a small role is welcome, the actor says.

Paresh, who was recently seen in Ajey – The Untold Story Of A Yogi, elaborates, “My reason for choosing a role has still not changed at all. Main koi bhi chhota role karne ko taiyaar hoon, bas film aur uski kahaani sahi honi chahiye. Mujhe koi dikkat nahi hai screen time ki.”

For the 70-year-old, the scale of a film isn’t a deal-breaker either. He shares, “I did The Storyteller (2022), which was a terrific film. Shastry Viruddh Shastry (2023) bhi aayi thi, I have an upcoming film with Adil Hussain. Maza aata hai aisi films karne mein. When you get such roles, it satisfies the actor in you. If I like the role once, then chaahe woh film chhoti bhi ho, and they tell me ‘We won’t be able to afford your market price,’ that is fine by me.”

He adds, “Main phir paise discuss bhi nahin karta hoon. Bas uss picture ka completion hona chahiye. Acchi filmein karne ka aise dil bhi karta hai phir.”

Through the years, Paresh hasn’t just experimented with different film genres but also dabbled in politics. The actor had contested in the 2014 Indian general elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party and was voted Member of Parliament. How does he look back on his stint in politics, given the recent controversies Ajey attracted due to its political plot points?

“Usko political career bolna galat hoga. Ek term tha mehez. Mujhe political career banana hi nahin tha,” Paresh shares. “But I was sure about one thing: main apne character par daag nahin lagne dunga. I wanted to come out clean, and I succeeded in achieving my motive,” he ends.

Last month, Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer The Lady Killer was reported to have hit the theatres as an “unfinished film” within five days of the trailer release. Director Ajay Bahl later clarified that his ‘confirmation’ that the film was released as incomplete was to be taken in jest, and that it was indeed “a complete film”. However, reportedly, only 293 tickets were sold on day one and showed on an appallingly low number of screens.

Shastry Viruddh Shastry and Hukus Bukus, starring Paresh Rawal and Darsheel Safary in the lead, respectively, dropped in theatres last month sans any promotions — meeting a similar fate.

The most obvious reason, notes trade analyst Atul Mohan, is that producers lock OTT deals very early on, which forces them to release films in an as-is state. “If they don’t deliver the film on time, the deal would get cancelled. Time se shoot nahin hua hoga aur overbudget ho gaya hoga, so makers might not want to put in more money. Agar usey Rs. 5 milna hai and Rs. 4 kharch ho chuka hai toh promotion vagerah mein nuksaan ho jayega,” says Mohan.

Stating that makers run out of funds and have to abandon projects midway and release them in a half-baked state, film expert Omar Qureshi says: “After the pandemic, a lot of indie makers ran out of funds and the confidence of their financier real fast. It was tragic for Hukus Bukus and Shastry Viruddh Shastry. There should be more support from state governments to incentivize filmmakers with smaller budgets.”

To makers, it might appear lucrative to salvage costs through such rushed releases, but trade analyst and producer Girish Johar alerts that it is a worrying trend. “Everything is getting wasted — the cast, technicians, even producers. Everyone is losing. Producers not taking it seriously and releasing films half-heartedly raises questions about credibility and loss of faith among the audience,” opines Johar.

But exhibitor Akshaye Rathi feels that the trend is “circumstantial”. “Producers run out of finances midway or post production. Only one out of 100 films has a fate like that. It could be the availability or the dates of the star involved or disputes between the producers and directors,” he explains.

Hukus Bukus - Rs. 4 lakh

The Lady Killer - Rs. 1 lakh

Shastry Viruddh Shastry - Rs. 6 lakh