The weekend gone by was memorable as the team of The Odyssey arrived in Mumbai for the film’s grand premiere and press conference. Two days before the press meet, journalists, including this writer, were sent a detailed PDF outlining the entry and checkpoint process. It clearly mentioned the reporting time, when registration and breakfast would commence, the scheduled start of the press conference and even the time by which it would conclude. The Indian media, however, took the schedule with a pinch of salt. After all, punctuality is often the last priority at film promotional events, where delays have become the norm rather than the exception.
However, we were all pleasantly surprised. According to the PDF, the press conference with Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon and Tom Holland was scheduled to take place from 11:00 am to 11:30 am, and that is almost exactly how it unfolded. Though the press meet began a few minutes late, it was still heartening for journalists accustomed to waiting for hours at such events. The stars interacted with the media for the allotted 30 minutes, and by around 11:35 or 11:40 am, the journalists were free to leave.
Christopher Nolan is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the world, while Matt Damon and Tom Holland rank among the most recognizable global movie stars. This inevitably raises a pertinent question – if personalities of such stature can respect a schedule and arrive on time, what prevents Indian film stars from doing the same?
A typical Indian film event rarely starts on time. Before the pandemic, delays of 45 to 60 minutes were common. Today, it is hardly surprising for an event to begin an hour and a half, or even two hours, behind schedule. One might wonder why members of the media should bother arriving on time when the event itself is unlikely to start as scheduled. However, photographers and camera crews have little choice, as they need to arrive early to secure the best positions from which to capture the proceedings. Journalists, too, risk being left without a place to sit if they arrive late.
Meanwhile, the PR team keeps assuring journalists that the event will start soon. Sometimes, it does, but mostly, it doesn’t. By the time the event is over, one feels drained of energy, mostly due to the endless wait.
Events take place almost every day in the film industry. Even if one conservatively assumes that a media professional attends just one major event every week, that amounts to 52 events in a year. If an hour is wasted waiting for the talent at each event, the person ends up losing 52 hours annually, or more than TWO FULL DAYS, simply because the stars could not arrive on time. And this calculation assumes only one event a week. In reality, journalists and camera crews attend far more. The actual time lost could easily amount to three days, or perhaps even more, every year.
The most unfortunate part is that everyone knows this problem exists, yet no one seems willing to address it. What is often overlooked is that greater punctuality would benefit everyone involved. PR professionals, who already work under considerable pressure, would also be far more at ease if events began on time. Whenever there is a delay, they are usually the ones forced to face the frustration and anger of waiting journalists. Readers may recall the viral video from the trailer launch of O'Romeo, where Nana Patekar walked out after the event failed to begin on time. Clearly, even actors are growing weary of this culture of endless delays. The system, therefore, needs to change at the earliest.
Most importantly, greater punctuality would allow journalists to devote more time to their work or spend it with their families and loved ones, instead of endlessly waiting for celebrities who feel arriving late is their birthright.
The exceptions
Of course, there have been exceptions, with some events beginning on time or after only a minimal delay. One memorable example was the launch of the second teaser of Bholaa, featuring Ajay Devgn, Tabu and others, in January 2023. The event was scheduled early in the morning and began barely 15 to 20 minutes late. This writer remembers receiving frantic calls from the PR representative asking about the estimated time of arrival. Having assumed that, as usual, the event would not begin on time, this writer had decided to reach the venue a little late. However, by the time he entered, the proceedings were just about to begin.
After the event concluded, this writer spoke to several journalists who were visibly delighted. They had expected to remain occupied for several more hours, as they usually do. Instead, the event ended more than an hour earlier than anticipated, which pleasantly relieved everyone.
To conclude
The punctuality displayed by Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon and Tom Holland should not be treated as an exception worth celebrating, but as a basic professional standard. Indian film events do not need elaborate reforms; they simply need greater respect for everyone’s time.
More Pages: The Odyssey (English) Box Office Collection , The Odyssey (English) Movie Review
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