In the latest episode of The Film Hustle, Akkshay Rathie spoke to a film exhibitor and covered several topics like theatrical performances of films, downfalls of Bollywood movies at the box office, trends in theatrical releases and pubic reactions. He was joined by Amit Sharma, the Managing Director of Miraj Cinema, Vishek Chauhan, the CEO of Roopbani Cinema and Devang Sampat, the Managing Director (India) of Cinepolis. At India TV's podcast The Filmy Hustle, Vishek did shed some light on the changing trends of film and broke down the facts on what is appealing to people more.
When asked about the rise of Pan-India films and what appeals to people, Vishek Chauhan said that in the last decade, films that carry more weightage in action, heavy music and cast are loved more. He also added that films that carry a kind of diversity are also appealing to people. 'Films that show a different side of a state or culture are being liked. However, small-scale films have more chances of working than big-budget ones. But I also feel that Baahubali has changed a lot for filmmakers and distributors. I feel like, yes, no one can predict what will work, but let's accept it the good story is necessary. Also, we need to understand the difference between copied, inspired and remakes,' Vishek added.
When asked about the downfall of cinema, the CEO of Roopbani Cinema said, 'What has happened in the last 10-15 decades is that films that have been released majorly have not connected with the masses. Moreover, they are not even targeted at the integral cities. But only to the urban sides. Hence, a lot is missed out and more people don't feel that these films are about them.'
On ticket prices and rise of multiplexes, Amit Sharma, the Managing Director of Miraj Cinema, said that said that as film distributors, they want to make theatres full capacity in several parts of the country, but at the same time, the major share of the film watching theatres are from Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore, and only they explore the other side of cinema. Hence, multiplexes are not applicable in several regional and rural parts of the country, as people don't want to pay a certain amount to just watch films. Silver screens work for them, but regulating ticket prices is a risky business, and figuring out what a certain city's people want and like is necessary,' he added.