Express News Service
1993 was a special year. One accomplishment followed another, reminisces Pusha Kandaswamy, CEO, Kavithaalaya Productions, one of South India’s legendary production houses. Her father, K Balachander, her brother Bala Kailasam, and she received National Awards in the same year for Oru Veedu Iru Vaasal, Roja and Vaastu Marabu, respectively.
It was a golden period. Every film they backed made a killing. Though the memories are still fresh, the production house, in addition to other top ones from the South, has stopped bankrolling films. The reasons are worth reckoning.
A statue of twin cherubs blowing bugles; an image of the Tami poet Thiruvalluvar as the kural, ‘Agara Mudhala’, playing in the background; a clarinet jingle—these are cult iconographic motifs that have defined over three generations of Southern cinema.
For the uninitiated, they are the symbols of Gemini Studios, Kavithalayaa Productions and AVM Productions respectively. But you don’t see them now. Kavithalayaa’s last film was 12 years ago, while AVM hasn’t bankrolled a movie for nine years.
The regressive change in the business model of film distribution is the main culprit, according to Kandaswamy who has backed hits like Muthu starring Rajinikanth, in addition to Annamalai, and Saamy. “There was a time when distributors stood by us through highs and lows. Because of their support, small-budget films got appreciated and we returned the favour by releasing big-budget films with top actors. Regardless of the scale, we always made a profit,” she says.
Changing distribution patterns over a period of time has compounded the disbalance. “A film flopping today will be disastrous for distributors but until the early 2000s, the loss margin wasn’t that high. The distribution system would offset the massive losses incurred by big-budget films, believes Producer PL Thenappan of Shree Raajalakshmi Films who backed high-grosses films such as Peranbu, Thenali, and Panchathantiram.
During the 80s, there was trust. Distributors happily extended their share even when a film was in production. But now, they wait for the teaser and trailer before starting negotiations. “We’re left with no option but to take loans to make films,” he says. Instead of being content-driven, distribution has now become star-centric, according to producer SR Prabhu of Dream Warrior Pictures.
The matter of disproportionate fee structures between the lead actors and the entire budget of the film cannot be ignored. “Back in the 90s, a couple of producers tried to get dates from some top actors in advance by offering to make a single payment. We’re still facing its consequences,” according to Thenappan.
The good news is that we’ve not reached the point of no return. The skewed fee and distribution systems can be reconfigured. Films in Hindi cinema and Telugu have shown a success rate because of their streamlined pay structure. “Heroes and directors get a token amount while signing a film and the balance is credited later,” says Thenappan.
Till things settle down, production houses are taking to OTT platforms. Kandaswamy of Kavithalayaa Productions is bankrolling a sci-fi-comedy series for Amazon Prime. Aruna Guhan and Aparna Guhan Shyam of the iconic AVM Productions, best known for Sivaji, and Sakalakala Vallavan, are on a lookout for great stories as they too find OTT the perfect medium.
BLOCKBUSTERs
Kavithalayaa Productions
-
Muthu
-
Annamalai
-
Saamy
-
Sindhu Bhairavi
-
Roja
AVM Productions
-
Sivaji
-
Sakalakala Vallavan
-
Murattu Kaalai
-
Samsaram Adhu Minsaram
-
Vettaikaran
Gemini Studios
-
Vasool Raja MBBS
-
Shankar Dada MBBS
-
Avvaiyyar
-
Vanji Kottai Valipan
-
Nanban
Source: The New Indian Express