While a thousand films are made annually in India, barely 30 are children’s flicks and only a handful of them get a decent release. And no, we’re not ‘kidding’
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 14, 2017)

Celebrated poet and writer Gulzar, while addressing a festival called Jashn-e-Bachpan had said, “It’s not that writers don’t love kids. To identify with children, you have to put yourself in their place and get involved with them. This doesn’t happen as often as it does with adults. And it is because of this lack of identification that so few films are being made or fewer pieces of lyrics written for kids.” Evidently, his words ring true. And as you read this, the 20th Children’s Film Festival of India — that started in Telangana on November 8, concludes today and not many are even aware of it.

Gulzar leads the pack of torchbearers of children’s content across literature and films in India. While mainstream Bollywood has a countable number of movies that cater to children, Hollywood studios have continued to flood the Indian market with their animated and feature content aimed for the knee-high audiences, year on year. Odds are possibly stacked against desi filmmakers, which coaxes them to think more mainstream and adult entertainment.

For example: In the 1960s, Satyajit Ray toyed with the idea of making Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. The fantasy adventure took several years in the making and on release, it worked commercially and also won the Best Picture Award at the National Film Awards in 1970. It took over three decades for Shwaas, another child-focussed film, albeit in Marathi, to win this coveted award. Moreover, it was also India’s official entry for the Oscars. Incidentally, the first film to ever win the National Award was Shyamchi Aai (1953), which revolved around a poor child and his mother. While it’s often debated whether a film made for kids only centres around them or appeals only to them, what is indisputable is that children’s cinema in India is not only underfunded, but is also under-evolved and under-consumed.

Institutions like the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) have been struggling to create and present content catering to children despite subsidies from the government to champion the cause. Rajan Khosa’s Gattu was among the last films that came out of CFSI. Shilpa Ranade’s Goopy Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya, an animated take on Satyajit Ray’s Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, made rounds of the international festivals, but failed to get a theatrical release in the domestic market. Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak, which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film and Grand Prix for Best Feature and Special Mention of Children’s Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival 2015, met with a similar fate; the only difference is that it didn’t get a wide enough release.

Not surprising then, that Indian filmmakers claim that lack of funds, poor distribution and exhibition machinery, and the general apathy of parents towards children’s content are together responsible for the despicable condition of the genre that continues to remain out of bounds for them. Hollywood, of course, continues to milk it, quantitatively and qualitatively, with its far superior content. About a dozen movies are released in India annually: The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Boss Baby, the superhero franchises and many more.

The home-grown market for children’s films is at an alarming low. According to certain trade researchers, it contributes not more than 0.2 per cent of the total box office collections every year. Amole Gupte, director of Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawaa Hawaai, says, “Most people don’t know when Sniff!!! released.”

Amole Gupte adds, “Sniff!!! was treated like a lawaris bachcha; a child buried before it could even breathe. The studio I partnered with had no faith in the film, although it backed some good adult films like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Newton. They didn’t bother marketing Sniff!!! or even letting it run in cinemas for more than a week, although we had floods in Mumbai that week and a curfew in the North, which means the footfall was low at cinemas anyway. When I showed it to children at pre-booked shows, they applauded it. I’m aware a lot of critics didn’t like it, but Sniff!!! was designed for kids and they liked it. Sometimes, adults have to keep their adult perspective aside. As a filmmaking industry, I have realised that we don’t respect children. We’ve failed them. You ‘kid’ them into watching what you, as adults, want to consume. As an adult, you get the scale of visuals you paid for and the child gets to see some fantasy. The fact that we use phrases like, ‘Don’t kid me or kid it down, yaar’ in our daily lingo shows how dumb we think kids really are when that’s not the case. If mainstream comedies are what we expose our kids to, how do we even expect them to engage in something that’s remotely meant only for them? They won’t know how to appreciate that. The only other bracket of films they can possibly enjoy is the fare that comes from Hollywood; though not every animated film or a film with kids is for them.”

Here’s a typical chicken-and-egg situation where the filmmaker blames the market forces and they push the blame back on the filmmaker. Amidst this tussle, children have found avenues to entertain themselves: TV shows, cartoon channels with dubbed versions of decade-old Chinese, Japanese and European shows and the web-streaming spaces apart from various films that are made in Hollywood.

Back on the home turf, apart from Sniff!!!, Ruchi Narain’s Hanuman Da Damdaar was the only other film that catered to little ones this year. When asked about the odds piled before a filmmaker backing children’s content, Ruchi points out that animation of international quality is expensive and the budgets in India for animation films are not even a small percentage of the Hollywood counterparts.

She elaborates, “Hollywood films can afford high budgets because they have a worldwide box office. Take The Jungle Book for instance. A Hindi animation film can’t be made at even five percent of that cost. While trying to get Hanuman Da Damdaar out, I realised that we were literally like trying to carve a market. It’s not a ready space waiting to consume children’s content. A lot of the mainstream films in India are made in a way that children can also accompany their parents to cinemas. As filmmakers, you are competing with the biggest Hindi blockbusters apart from Hollywood films for your kids’ viewing. Actually, there is no competition from Hollywood because they are the only ones who generate some differentiated content for kids. We make one-off films. Studios don’t largely encourage our films. Bodies like the CFSI are also given such tiny budgets that the outcome doesn’t match the content the kids are already consuming. At cinemas, children’s films are given morning shows, which are not only sold at lower ticket rates but are also difficult to fill because kids don’t come unaccompanied to a cinema hall. And on weekdays, most parents are away at work. So, monetarily, a kids’ film doesn’t make much money. In my case, the cinemas revised our shows to the evening slots, which was a relief.”

Even as filmmakers, few possess the ability to reach out to children as equals, without sermonising or giving them life lessons. A memorable children’s film, like Chillar Party has the ability to transcend age barriers and reach out to adults and children alike. Few would know that the film nearly didn’t take off for the lack of a director. Most filmmakers who were offered to direct, rejected the project citing the lack of a star face or a ‘compelling’ story. Eventually, Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas Bahl, who wrote the movie, decided to direct it together. “It’s an unfortunate scenario. Producers’ interest in backing any film is backed by box-office returns and we have many examples of monetarily successful kids’ films. That is the reason we see fewer kids’ films although there is a huge potential,” concedes Nitesh, adding, “I will credit Vikas for getting Chillar Party off the ground. We need more people with that conviction to push a film with 10 children and a stray dog. Unfortunate situation is that budgets are not decided by the script alone, it’s also about the star. With that in mind, what budget do you think a kids’ film will get? A kids’ film can have a star like Hrithik Roshan doing Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish which were happily consumed by them. As a parent, I don’t show every Hollywood animation film to my seven-year-olds and I am sure many feel that heat, too. We tap holiday weekends two years in advance but leave the summer vacations without releasing anything for kids.”

Writer Salim Khan, who wrote Mr India, one of most well-recalled children’s films ever, with his then-partner Javed Akhtar, agrees with Nitesh’s point of view. He firmly believes that a film with kids alone will find it difficult to secure any financial backing. “We have to acknowledge that a film sells on a star. Children’s films often lack stars and that’s why often they don’t even take off. A kiddie film with a star has more chances of working at the box office. Look at Haathi Mere Saathi, or for that matter, even Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The films had stories for children and were about children; but they had the backing of a star which got them a huge push. If people want to make films for kids, get a star to back it because remember, a child doesn’t watch a film alone. That is the intention we had when we wrote Mr India. Its sequel too should apply the same formula,” he says.

While filmmakers are still not rushing to make a film for kids, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has digressed from his usual lavish story-telling ways to make a simple drama, Mere Pyaar Prime Minister with kids from a slum in Mumbai. He believes, “You can’t direct children. They will direct you. They teach you so much about your craft. I had a wonderful time making my film with these little boys. It’s a story that has something for the child and for the parent. I’ve attempted to blend their interests in.”

Even though the current scenario of kids’ films seems bleak, future holds some hope. Vishal Bhardwaj, known to back children’s content, is constantly working on stories that can please a tot. Ruchi is also planning her next animation film for kids. And Amole, despite his last experience with Sniff, is raring to make an even better children’s film that before. He sums it up saying, “The only thing left out of a child’s plate is his or her share of entertainment. Even cartoons like Oggy And the Cockroaches are Bollywood comic caricatures of stars which don't satisfy kids. It’s such a shame! We don’t know how to respect our children. What you sow is what you will get. How can you expect kids’ cinema to work wonders here when it lacks basic encouragement from the parents in the audience? You want a desi Harry Potter without investing in it. I have been fighting a losing battle. In an insecure industry, children’s cinema comes below regional cinema in the pecking order. I am not Alice in Wonderland. I know making my next kids’ film will not be easy but my conviction in that cinema is full, not token. I don’t ‘kid’ the audience.”

After Visaranai failed to make it to the Top Nine in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards, BT speaks to Indian film industry experts and analyses what we lack
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 21, 2016)

Mithila Phadke (THE TIMES OF INDIA; April 19, 2015)

Urmimala Banerjee (MID-DAY; March 9, 2014)

It seems like a classic case of the tortoise and hare race. Even when Bollywood films are riding over claims of hundreds of crores, the Marathi film industry is quietly making quality films which are raking in substancial profits, thanks to relatively low cost of production. Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav’s Timepass (above) raked in Rs 5 crore in its opening weekend.

Over a span of three weeks, it earned Rs 31 crore, breaking the Rs 25 crore record held by Duniyadari.

Close on the heels of Timepass came Fandry, a strikingly different film that grossed around Rs 2.25 crore in its first week. After wooing the regional audience, it’s the first Marathi film to be released across different Indian cities.

For the past two years, Marathi films have managed to catapault themselves to an enviable position, mainly due to their novel stories and engaging narratives. From social dramas to biopics and mass entertainers, creative ideas are blossoming. Young talented actors, directors and storytellers are finding the industry a great platform to showcase their talents. How is this transformation happening?

Cinematic renaissance
In the ’90s, the Marathi film industry was caught in a rut with every second film belonging to the slapstick comedy genre. It was Sandeep Sawant’s Shwaas that gave a new lease of life to the stagnating industry.

Filmmaker Mangesh Hadawale, who directed the critically acclaimed Tingya, explains, “ I found it tough to find a producer for my film till 2007. Umesh Kulkarni who made Deool is also greatly responsible for encouraging the new breed of directors. Marathi cinema had seen its heydays when filmmakers such as Amol Palekar and Dr Jabbar Patel made classics; this is the second innings.” Besides Shwaas, films like Deool and Shala also played a role in bringing about a transition. The period of 2009-2011 was a good one with films like Deool, Harishchandrachi Factory, Shala and Mi Shivajirao Bhosale Boltoy doing well at the ticket windows.

Director Sujay Dahake who is gearing up for the release of his film, Ajoba, made his directorial debut with Shala. He explains, “The film made on a budget of Rs 3 crore grossed around Rs 9 crore at the box office. It created a lot of buzz, as it starred rank newcomers and had foreign technicians. Plus, we got critical acclaim with the National Award.”

Culture comes to aid
Marathi literature has always been rich with its quota of amazing novels, short stories and poetry. The new generation of directors seems to be in sync with the cultural milieu and aspirations of the audience.
Jadhav says, “Our audience believes in a good story. This reflects in the casting as actors don’t choose films, it’s the films that choose them. Fandry is a prime example. It talks about the caste system through a love story. Marathi audience has a certain standard that comes with reading and watching theatre. When we made Balak Palak, we had to ensure that a family can watch it together without cringing. Even a commercial film like Timepass had a message that love is not a onquest or a matter of frivolity. The themes are universal, but our treatment is local.”

Dahake argues that the lack of content in Bollywood is helping Marathi films. He opines, “There is a huge revival in the art of story- telling. Modern directors want to explore new themes. Our audience has got a stimulation it missed sorely in the ’80s and ’90s.” Hadawale adds, “Our women love reading rather than attending kitty parties. We have to recognise their sensibilities.” It is this regard for content that has wowed the corporates as well.

Nitin Sane, head of the Marathi film division, Essel Vision says, “The content in Marathi film is better than Hindi ones. Also, our films are extremely rooted in our culture. Look at Kaksparsh, Natrang and now Fandry, all of them resonate with our people. As a corporate house, we believe in good subjects. While many producers would have avoided financing a project like Fandry after a superhit like Timepass, we thought otherwise. Our next film is a biopic on Yashwantrao Chavan, the first CM of Maharashtra.”

Zero star system
The absence of a star system in the industry is also being hailed as one of the reasons behind this renaissance.
Since there are no stars to take away a major chunk of the investment, films are made in much smaller budget. Since the budget is not much, many more risks are taken in terms of stories and scripts. Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, the director of Fandry says, “I did not have a target audience in mind before making the film. The idea was to tell a good story. When you have such a mindset, you don’t bother about stars or profitability. The focus is solely on correct casting.”

Unlike Bollywood, the Marathi film industry is devoid of camps, which makes it easier to take risks. “Present-day directors know their craft and are brave enough to experiment with what they think is right for their films. They have watched European and Iranian cinema and believe in good story- telling with everyday characters. The people who worked in the Laxmikant Berde-Ashok Saraf brand of cinema weren’t educated in the craft per se,” adds Hadawale.

However, Ravi Jadhav has a different take on this. “I think the commercial aspect is equally important as the creative one. I could make a film like Timepass without stars as it suited the subject. However, it was a good idea to cast Swapnil Joshi, Ankush Chaudhary and Sai Tamhankar in Duniyadari (below) as it was a mass youth-centric film. Tomorrow, if I make a big budget thriller, I will opt for a proper beefed-up hero. It’s too early to talk about a star system out here.”



Bollywood wakes up
A number of B-Town actors raved about Fandry after seeing the film. Riteish Deshmukh made profits as a producer after the success of Balak Palak. His next production venture is Yellow, the story of a swimming champion with Down’s Syndrome.

Akshay Kumar and Nikhil Advani too are producing Marathi films. Jadhav states, “I don’t think Bollywood stars think about profits when they invest in Marathi films. When they come here they want to promote stories they actually believe in. It’s nice to see people such as Akshay Kumar, Riteish and Nikhil investing in the industry. Their positive feedback is very crucial for us in reaching out to more people.” It is not just about production ventures, romantic films that are slowly disappearing from B-Town are finding their way in Marathi films

Dahake says, “Even two years earlier, the Marathi audience would prefer a Bollywood film over a Marathi one. I feel that the romantic films of the ’90s in Bollywood are making a comeback in Marathi with varied treatments. The young audience relates to the depiction of love in Hindi films. Perhaps, that’s why films on love and marriage are finding takers.”

Money matters
The minimum investment in a Marathi film is Rs 1 crore for a topnotch production. The minimum amount is Rs 60- 65 lakh. “The smaller films too have an audience in the rural areas. An amount invested in films is around Rs 2.5 crore which is just the production cost. The marketing costs an additional crore. Even if a film makes Rs 6-8 crore, it has recovered money,” states Dahake. When a Rs 2-3 crore film crosses Rs 30 crore, it’s great news for the industry. “A film like Fandry even if it does not do great business, is good as it brings appreciation for Marathi cinema. Out of 120 films it’s only 10 that do really well,” says Jadhav.

Nitin Datar, exhibitor and distributor says, “Out of the 80 films released last year, 95 per cent made losses. Only five per cent were successful. The minimum investment is Rs 40 lakh. There are some who make films just to get government subsidy. Many first-time producers have incurred greater costs due to inexperience.”

Marketing magic
According to Datar, the publicity costs have gone higher. Many spend more on artistes and less on the quality of films. “With promotions across TV channels and newspapers across 35 districts of Maharashtra, costs have shot up,” says Datar. Sane stresses, “We have tried our best to promote films like Fandry. As a channel, we like to encourage new and upcoming talent. In terms of marketing, we have a long way to go.”

Government support
Jadhav says, “I can’t speak much about subsidy. But it’s good that they are starting studios in Malvan and Kolhapur. State awards are very important for us. They also give Rs 1 lakh cash reward. The entertainment tax exemption is also important in bringing in more people to the theatres.”

From witnessing its best haul at the 59th National Awards to Fandry drawing in the crowds beyond traditional audiences, Marathi cinema is breaking barriers, especially in terms of language
Kanika Sharma (MID-DAY; March 5, 2014)

Marathi cinema has always had it heavy on its shoulders, especially when the precedent of such a legacy is Dadasaheb Phalke. Though decked with illustrious names, Marathi films have had it tough since the 1980s as Maharashtrian audiences were the only ones who turned up, despite government support. This wasn’t the case earlier, Kapil Bhopatkar, owner of Bharatmata Cinema, tells us, “Marathi cinema has had many downturns. First, with the arrival of the videocassette recorder (VCR), cinema hall audiences became uncertain. Then, satellite television, followed by local Marathi channels and Marathi theatre, posed problems.” Bharatmata Cinema, one of the last surviving single- screen cinema halls in Mumbai, established in 1941, serves as a reminder of the times when Marathi cinema had queues of cinegoers snaking pavements. Bhopatkar claims that even Gujaratis, Marwaris and Parsis would watch the cinema during those days.



Audience applause
“In the last two/two-and-a-half years, there has been an upsurge in the screening and success of Marathi films. We’ve had films that open with three shows on a Friday and midweek become nine to cater to the increasing interest,” informs Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Cinemas.

Evident of a change, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Fandry that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mumbai Film Festival was released in unusual places such as Kolkata, Indore, Chennai and Baroda.

The actual game changer can be traced to 2004, in the film, Shwaas that triggered the dwindling number of films being made in the industry from 14 to 100 and more. “Marathi audiences have always been used to reading literature, so they appreciate quality,” maintains Bhopatkar.

Mixing it up
“Recently, I watched Duniyadari,” says 21-year-old Sachin Dhivar, who was not attracted to Marathi films as “there was no fun in them” till some time ago. Yet he regards the 2013 blockbuster as an eyeopener which he found as “ advanced”. Sachin Khedekar, a Marathi actor who has marked his presence in both Hindi and Marathi films, gives the expert’s lowdown on this recent development: “If you look at the last five years, none of the films can be said to belong to a single genre.” He adds, “They are all sorts — historical, comical and social.” Naming a few, he shares Kaksparsh, Duniyadari, and Balak Palak.

Raking in the moolah
“Festival screenings help in making the audience aware of your film,” adds Manjule. As the premises of Hindi cinema and regional cinema fades during the selection of films at festivals, Indian films seem to be destined to attain greater heights of viewership. Yet, in order to give it a mainstream release, publicity and promotion will play a vital role, asserts Bhopatkar.

Since Shwaas, which only had word-of- mouth publicity; Manjule’s Fandry is being promoted by the who’s who of Bollywood including Kiran Rao and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. As of today, an average Marathi film is being made for Rs 1.5 crore. Bhopatkar still feels that the market for Marathi cinema is almost unexplored and has the potential to give tough competition to Bollywood.



How Shwaas broke new ground
“The budget of Shwaas was only Rs 65 lakh,” reveals Sandeep Sawant, its director, adding that the idea was to take up a fresh subject and take the risk of making something different, as the film was based on a grandfather-grandson relationship. With Shwaas, after a long period, a good film was seen that led to more filmmakers making radical films. Shwaas indeed broke the ceiling, as it was not only India’s official entry to the Academy Awards but also the first Marathi film in 50 years to win a National Award. Since then, there has been a change in the subjects of the films and target audiences that now focus on the youth, shares Bharatmata Cinema owner, Kapil Bhopatkar.

 >> Fandry’s net collection at the Box Office so far has been Rs 2.35 cr, according to its director Nagraj Manjule.

 >> Duniyadari ran for 15 weeks superseding any Bollywood film’s record.

>> Duniyadari was viewed by 4.6 lakh people at PVR and did a business of Rs 3.6 crore while Timepass had about a 6-lakh viewership at PVR and raked in 5.04 crore at the same venue