The film industry is reeling under severe financial crisis. And the tally of flops - that continues to escalate - has left everyone dumbfounded. Clearly, the industry is in a state of panic.
Yes, some 'soothsayers' have been painting a rosy picture of the industry, stating that a number of films have worked at the box-office, but the ground realities are different. PAGE 3 continues to top the list, thanks to its low budget.
The sad part is that a majority of films are not fetching even a face-saving opening these days. Not too long ago, if a film had a 60% start, it would give sleepless nights to its investors. But if a film manages even a 50% opening these days, the industry heaves a sigh of relief. A shining example of changing trends… and fortunes!
Unfortunately, 10% to 20% openings have become a recurrence. To state that the business has hit rock bottom would be an understatement.
But the situation should perk up from next week onwards. Starting with the release of TANGO CHARLIE and ZEHER [March 25], a number of biggies are expected to hit the marquee in the forthcoming weeks. I strongly feel that the months of April, May and June are crucial and the business prospects should brighten up once again.
Let's have an optimistic approach!
While I was watching the John Abraham - Priyanka Chopra starrer KARAM, the one aspect that caught my attention was the way debutante director Sanjay F. Gupta had filmed a couple of sequences.
But KARAM suffered in that one department that is the lifeline of all films - the script. And the best of efforts go unnoticed if the screenplay is not cohesive enough.
KARAM had a lukewarm start at most places. And with the passage of days, the collections continued to dwindle. The failure of KARAM should serve as an eye-opener to all those debutantes who give more emphasis to technique than content.
Let's not forget that the viewer wants to listen to a story at the end of the day!
