It's time the actors woke up and smelt coffee...
A reputed producer was narrating an incident to me the other day and I felt that it is imperative to put this on record and caution other actors against such callous behaviour.
Reportedly, this highly respected producer approached a leading actor [with half-a-dozen flops in the recent past to his credit] with a film offer a few days ago. Before even listening to the story, the actor shamelessly told the producer, "I am charging 1.5; I will let you know what the signing [confirmation] amount is. If it suits you, I am ready to hear the script and work out the remaining formalities."
The producer was in for a rude shock. "I was ready to pay him an 'x' amount, provided I am assured that I can recover the investment and make some money in the process. But where are the buyers? Also, he should've at least heard the script before quoting his exorbitant fee," he sounded upset.
While on one hand the production sector is going through a boom, with more and more films being announced as days go by, the scenario is exactly the opposite in the distributors' arena. In fact, the number of distributors in each and every territory has dwindled at an alarming rate, which explains why a number of producers have been forced to release their films themselves.
Strangely, our actors aren't aware of the ground realities and even if they are, they prefer to look the other way. So, what is the alternative? The actors ought to realize that the prices they quote are unrealistic and that the producers of a majority of recent flops are in debts [to the tune of crores], partly because the producer wasn't able to recover his investment at the time of release.
The attitude of several actors is disgusting, if you ask my opinion. The actors have every right to ask for a rightful remuneration, but they ought to remember that such high-handedness just won't work anymore. Let's not bite the hand that feeds us. The actors ought to get real!
WHERE DID 'YUVA' FALTER?
Mani Ratnam has missed the bus yet again!
YUVA was touted as one of those biggies that would bail the industry out of its current crisis. Unfortunately, the film has not lived up to the gargantuan expectations. The film trade is in a state of shock, what with the distributors and exhibitors having invested all their faith and fortune in this mega venture that was expected to be a money-spinner.
But what saddens me is that the film just didn't fetch a decent opening at several places. With Mani Ratnam in the director's seat and an attractive star cast as one of its USPs, the film should've taken a flying start at the box-office, setting new records in its opening weekend.
The general feeling within the industry is that films targeted at the youth work wonders at the turnstiles. In this case, not only does the film star six top-of-the-line youngsters, even the title [YUVA] is youth-oriented. So why did the audiences accord a cold welcome to this flick?
Could it be because the promos were not too hot? Or, perhaps, Rahman's music didn't really catch on? Whatever the reasons, the not-too-happening opening response to the film indicates that big names do not necessarily guarantee big openings.
