How can Kollywood be preserved intact when the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to change the way industries across the world go about their business?
Amid deep uncertainty over whether audiences would feel comfortable walking into cinema halls even months down the line, film producers in T.N., who had been hoping to cash in on theatrical releases during the lucrative summer months of April and May, are now looking for other ways to get their money’s worth.
In a surprise move, actor Suriya’s production house, 2D Entertainment, decided on Saturday that Jyothika-starrer Pon Magal Vandhal, originally slated to hit the screens in March, will be released directly on Amazon Prime Video in the first week of May. Industry sources said the film had been sold to Amazon Prime Video for ₹5 crore.
The move has prompted an adverse reaction from exhibitors and distributors, who have threatened to ban all feature films starring Mr. Suriya and made by his production house. In a video message, R. Panneerselvam, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association, said, “I was shocked to learn that Pon Magal Vandhal would be released on an OTT (over-the-top) platform before its theatrical release. Movies that are produced for theatres should be released in theatres first. The producer has breached this rule. We strongly condemn this. We told the producer not to do this. If they (the production house) press ahead with this plan, we will not release any movies associated with that company.”
The tug of war between exhibitors and producers has been going on ever since the digital platforms, armed with huge cash reserves, entered the film business.
As the cinema owners have come down hard on the producer, the Tamil Nadu Film Producers’ Council is likely to throw its weight behind 2D Entertainment.
Disagreeing with the statement made by the cinema owners, producer G. Dhananjayan said, “It is the right of the producer to decide how to cash in on the film. Even big Bollywood movies like Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb and Sooryavanshi are likely to be released directly on OTT platforms. If theatre owners can decide which films should be screened and how many shows a film should get — small films don’t get screens — then producers should have the freedom to exploit their product in any way they see fit.”
Rajsekar Pandian, director and co-producer, 2D Entertainment, declined to comment on the matter as the producers’ council was likely to give its response.
A cinema owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said that banning Mr. Suriya’s films was not the solution, and that the decision to release Pon Magal Vandhal directly on an OTT platform was merely due to the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a COVID-19-induced one-time move, and we expect that things will settle down in the long term. In the end, you can’t prevent actors from working with Netflix or Amazon [Prime Video], and the producers will also make content for OTT platforms as it’s a safe business model with a 10-15% assured margin,” a cinema owner said. “The general expectation is that till Diwali, there won’t be much traction in the theatrical business even if the lockdown is lifted. Normalcy is expected to return only next year, after a vaccine becomes available,” he added.
Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur Raju on Sunday said the State government will facilitate talks between producers and cinema owners to arrive at a mutual agreement on the issue.