A biggie arrives and the responsibility of not merely recovering its high costs, but also bailing the strife-torn industry out of the mess arrives with it. But can one biggie make a difference? Can one biggie help us tide over the financial crisis? Can one biggie, all of a sudden, change the mood from pessimism to optimism?
HOUSE FULL has fared well. BADMAASH COMPANY will make profits. But KITES, the recent biggie, has made a big hole in the pockets of its distributors. Now everyone's expecting RAAJNEETI to bail out the industry. RAAVAN follows two weeks later, followed by I HATE LUV STORYS, two weeks after RAAVAN. A lot of money is riding on these films.
Agree, no one knows that elusive formula for success, but the least you can do is concentrate on the script, hold test screenings when the film is complete, seek opinions from those you trust and make changes, if necessary. Hollywood does it, but barring Aamir Khan in Bollywood, a majority of producers don't follow this strategy.
In fact, when I speak to distributors and exhibitors associated with a film, a day or two prior to that film's release, they seem completely clueless about the content of that film. Like the avid moviegoer, their knowledge of the film is limited to watching the promos on air or listening to the soundtrack. That's it!
Till the 1990s, preview screenings were a regular feature, prior to a film's release. In fact, the film-makers would proudly screen their movies to gauge the feedback. That trust and confidence is missing today. The stakes are really high today, but the trust has only narrowed over the years. An sms or a comment on a Facebook/Twitter can spell doom today.
But we need to co-exist with the fast-changing times. The only mantra for survival is to make better films and for that you need to concentrate on the script, plus give the film a good release and most importantly, control the budget. That's the only way out!
