With no biggie releasing this week, the producers and distributors of last week's releases are hoping to cash in on the situation, particularly the producers of DUM. According to the associate producer of DUM, Bipin Savla, the open week will definitely go a long way in boosting the collections of the film.
"There's no doubt that the coming week will help the film consolidate its position at the box-office. In fact, the audiences have just begun to sit up and take notice of the film after the disappointing opening response. The lack of a strong opposition will further compliment its prospects," Savla says.
According to him, the business at smaller centres has been encouraging. "The film is also being appreciated and I am sure this will translate into promising box-office collections. To be honest, it will not be surprising if the film changes course from being branded a flop, to a coverage film, a commission earner and probably an overflow film. After all, we must not forget that the film is priced moderately at Rs. 1 crore," he says with an optimistic smile.
'JISM' DISTRIBUTOR ALL SMILES
Meanwhile, the Mumbai distributor of JISM, Anchal Agarwal, is sitting pretty over the first week's collections of the film, though the film has registered a drop in its second week. "The drop was anyway anticipated with the new releases, but it is not as sharp as I had expected. Going by the business of the film so far, I am confident that it will be more than a commission earner at the box-office," Agarwal says.
As a matter of fact, Agarwal was said to be planning to increase the number of prints in the second week, looking at the first week's response. "I was contemplating doing that, but it would've been ideal only if the film continued with an exceptional response in the second week," he admits.
Agarwal confesses that he is quite pleased with his first experience in distribution, but he is in no hurry to get into aggressive buying of films. "The beginning has definitely been a promising one, but I want to be a cautious buyer at least till I master the ropes of the trade," he says.
TIPS CLARIFIES ABOUT 'E.A.E.G.' DEAL
With the music industry going through a recession, established banners, who once cultivated a good rapport with certain music companies, are now forging new alliances. Take the recent example of Mukta Arts, which sold the music rights of EK AUR EK GYARAH to T-Series.
At one time, Tips never missed a Mukta Arts film. The long association between the two saw the release of almost every Mukta Arts film, from KHAL-NAYAK to YAADEIN. The banner's last presentation, BADHAAI HO BADHAAI, went to Universal. But the recent deal with T-Series has confirmed that the business association between Mukta Arts and Tips is not the same.
"It's not as if Tips will no longer have anything to do with Mukta Arts. If we don't opt for a particular film's music, it is because of the price structure. One must come to terms with the fact that the price paid to a producer has to be recovered. We definitely don't want our shareholders to lose in the bargain. Our criteria is clear – we want to opt for quality music at deserving prices," says Kumar Taurani of Tips.
If that was the issue of contention, isn't the price of Rs. 2 crores (T-Series acquired the music of EK AUR EK GYARAH at this price!) a rather modest one, considering the prices commanded by Mukta Arts' earlier productions? "Not really. Times have changed. Even Rs. 2 crore is a big price today. But every music company has its own equation about how it intends to recover its price," says Taurani.
As for T-Series, the music company is looking forward to a sound business association with Mukta Arts. "This is the first time we have entered into an association with Mukta Arts and we are looking forward to a long-term relationship with the banner," says Mukesh Desai, the company's C.E.O.
