The summer of
2016 was bit unbearable for the industry that is known to churn out maximum
celluloid products across the world. It neither was the soaring temperature nor
was the humidity that made matters worse for the largest film industry.
People who had
invested money in films like Udta Punjab and Great Grand Masti skipped a beat
when it was revealed that both the films were available for free consumption
online, days before the actual release of the films. Months of labour and hard
work were threatened and every minute was a blow on the film’s future.
image Source: twitter/shahidkapoor
It was Balaji
Motion Pictures who bore the brunt of this attack, as both the films were from
the abovementioned stable. In the aftermath, the production house went for
damage control but by then it was too little and too late.
Picture this,
Udta Punjab boasted of a stellar cast with names like Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt
and Punjabi pop superstar Diljit Dosanjh attached to its credit but the outcome
was less than Rs 50 crore at the box office. Great Grand Masti had Masti and
Grand Masti as its predecessors with tags of ‘super hit’ attached to both in
trade journals but the bludgeon was so hard on the fate of Great Grand Masti
that it simply failed to survive the initial three days of its release. The
film was a box office disaster which could not even cross the Rs 10 crore
hurdle. The collateral damage resulted in Balaji Motion Pictures downing its
shutters for future film production for good. Interestingly, the video that was
available before the release of both the films had the watermark of ‘censor
board’. Food for thought?
Image Source: twitter/riteishhd
This was only
last year and now piracy is more sharp and lethal. The multi headed dragon has
raised its hood again and producers, once again, are feeling the heat. The
situation is now so grave that the supreme body of Indian film producers - The
Film and TV Producers Guild of India aka The Guild, went into a huddle last
week to discuss the issue. The subject this time was the quality of pirated
videos.
The new year also
brought newer challenges to producers. The pirated versions of most of the
films that released in theatres were DVD quality or just a notch below.
Pirated copies of films like Raees, Kaabil, Force 2 and Jolly LLB 2 were sheer
delight for people who have an anathema for buying cinema tickets.
The pirated
copies are better, cleaner and sharper than before. Yes, initially the pirated
copies that reached the public on the day of a film’s release left a lot to be
desired – they were pixilated and inferior in quality and gave a glimmer of
hope to producers that despite having seen the film, the viewer might just
visit the nearest cinema hall for a better viewing experience.
But the ever
growing technological advancement has crushed this glimmer of hope too for
producers. The copies available now are far superior in terms of quality and
picture sharpness, negating and quashing any hopes of viewers visiting the
cinema halls to have a dekko again.
Vasu Bhagnani
blames the menace of piracy solely on the government. “There is no denying the
fact that the industry is suffering but how about the government? Government is
suffering three times the losses and they are simply not able to comprehend
this. Government is not getting taxes and the growth of the industry has
stopped. When films run, more theatres mushroom which means more business, but
in our case the growth has turned negative. Remember, every time someone
watches a film on DVD, government is denied tax,” explains Bhagnani.
Image Source: twitter/sonakshisinha
Recently Viacom 18 dragged its digital integration firm
K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Ltd to cyber cops for leaking their film Force 2
online. An FIR too was filed in this case. The production house had alleged in
its complaint that Force 2 was available on various cyber platforms for
streaming and downloading defying all piracy laws. The company also revealed
that the copy from where the piracy originated was sent to their digital
integration firm. All charges were later on denied by the digital firm and the
matter is still pending. Vipul Shah who was the producer of the film, maintains
that Viacom18 should not resort to any sort of settlement and should go all out
behind the culprit. The latest development being that the cyber cops have
arrested the owner and manager of Prakash Cinema in Dabara area of Gwalior in
connection with the Force 2 piracy case. The father-son duo were arrested after
the cops found out that copy of the film that was given to Prakash Cinema
by the digital firm had the same watermark which was there on the leaked
version and the pirated online version.
So is there any
end to this menace? Vipul Shah, the man behind blockbusters like Aankhein and
Waqt, rather than giving a clear cut answer, tries to explain things. “Piracy
menace cannot be curbed because the people involved in it are powerful ones. No
government across the world feels that film industry is a part of them. We help
in creation of job opportunities, we play a role in the economy and thus we
also should be given protection. Politicians too are part of the piracy
network and have their own cuts, in such a scenario it becomes really difficult
to curb piracy when everyone who is part of the system is busy in money
transaction. It’s a common notion that if you watch a pirated film then it’s
not an illegal act but if you were to pick something from a shop then it’s an
offence. The mindset has to change,” roars Shah.
Image Source: twitter/aamirkhan
It’s difficult to
attach any number to the losses the industry is suffering on account of piracy
but a small scenario might just explain the grim scenario. The most successful
Indian film of all time - Dangal minted close to Rs 400 crore at the box office
and that roughly translates to Rs 5 crore footfalls in theatres. Get down on
the street and casual conversation with people will inform you that virtually everyone
has seen the film. You won’t find a person who has not seen the film. With a
very average and rough calculation it means that 15 crore people from the
country have seen the film. So if a footfall of 5 crore people have fetched the
film close to 400 crore, one can well imagine the losses.
So is there any
mean to curb this? Vipul Shah had suggested an extremely radical idea to the
guild a while back but was rejected. Vipul was of the opinion that if the
government is hell bent and serious towards eradicating this menace, then they should
not go after the pirates, rather they should arrest and put behind bar those
who are caught watching pirated stuff. “If a person with some stature were to
spend a night behind the bar then I am convinced that he or she will never ever
resort to pirated stuff. The effect will be similar to drunken driving
cases, the results for which are in front of you,” says Vipul Shah.
Image Source: twitter/FilmKRAFT
Vasu Bhagnani is
currently in London and met a friend few days back. The meeting also introduced
him to a new anti-piracy software. The 'Producer No 1' now is thinking of
getting the software to India to help the industry. According to him the
software will be able to detect any unauthorized exhibition of the film running
in any corner of the world. With pirates matching their beat with the latest
technological advancements, we can only hope and pray for Vasu’s sincere
efforts. Amen.
Thumbnail Image Source: twitter/akshaykumar, iamsrk & FilmKraft