A little birdie informs us that much as everyone is waiting for MS Dhoni – The Untold Story to release, exhibitors are also worrying about the length of the film. At 190 mins with two trailers and all the rest of the paraphernalia thrown in, each show will need at least three and a half hours which reduces the number of shows that might be possible. Despite it being an only release and therefore getting more audis this could work to its disadvantage. Such an expensive film needs to rake in the moolah in a hurry and they are wondering if the excessive length will not be counterproductive.
Image Source: youtube/FoxStarHindi
Meanwhile, two important events took place over the course of last week. In the first, in retaliation to terrorist activity, the MNS called for a boycott of any Hindi films that featured actors of the neighbouring nation and asked the actors to leave India in a stipulated time period. The second was that two small films, both amazingly similar in that they focused on what would have been called in other times ‘women issues’, showed us how the adroit use of social could take these films to the audience they merit.
Image Source: twitter/RedChilliesEnt & karanjohar
The first is of course the more serious issue seeing as the films Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Fawad Khan and Raees with Mahira Khan are complete and will release soon. While I am not going to comment on the legality or rightness of the stipulation, I would like to point out that if the majority of Indians have taken to the actor like they have done to Fawad that has to provide for some currency when arbitrary decisions are made. Surely so many of us cannot be wrong and if he (and others) is banned from acting we will only be doing ourselves a gross disservice. As Karan Johar said, “Culturally boycotting artists is not a solution.”
Image Source: facebook/PinkTheMovie & parchedmovie
What Pink and Parched have shown us is that if the intention is right, the content is engaging and the right push is given, a film will find its audience. Both the films kept up a continuous media presence through social media and press interactions even after release and the result is there for all to see. At an earlier time these “women centric’ films would have got critical acclaim, a few newspaper headlines and that would be that. Today both are still running in theatres, a sure sign of acceptence and Pink has gone on to do better in its second week than the slew of films released that week.
Pink, in fact, has almost become a movement with several forwards on WhatsApp and Facebook pointing out salient features of the law referred to in the film that the viewer may have missed. According to one such, producer Shoojit Sircar has said that senior officials from the central government have told him that once the film is out of theatres they would be taking it to school and colleges to spread awareness. If this really does happen Pink would truly be ‘new age’, entertaining and educational.
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Thumbnail Image Source: twitter/itsSSR