'People have got into the habit of sitting at home (and watching films).'
'They don't want to watch movies in theatres because they don't want to waste as much as Rs 1,000 on tickets.'
'They feel there is no point in watching a film on the big screen because it will anyway come on OTT in a month's time.'
The Hindi film industry is going through a rough patch, and many A-listers stars have no film on the floors.
There are many reasons for this, and trade analyst Amod Mehra lists his reasons.
"Even desh bhakti movies aren't working in theatres any more. People are tired of seeing Pakistan getting abused on the big screen," Amod Mehra tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/ Rediff.com.
You said the number of big films being made has reduced. How do the economics work for small budget films?
It depends on the budget.
For example, a platform like Netflix will give you Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) for your film and keep their margin of Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million).
The Hindi film industry is doing badly.
Nobody is earning from theatre releases.
Naaz (a distribution hub of the Hindi film industry in south Mumbai) has shut down.
Nobody is asking questions why film distributors are sitting at home and doing nothing.
Maybe it's because actors have turned producers.
Which actor has become a producer? No one.
Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have produced films.
They don't produce films, they only keep their interest in remuneration by stating they will share the profits of the film.
They do not put their own remuneration in films.
They only do films that will give them more profit.
Do you think Akshay Kumar puts his own money in making films? He never produces a film alone. You will always see four other names as producers of the film. He wants a share of the profit and satellite as well as OTT rights.
That's why I tweeted that instead of charging Rs 90 crore, Akshay Kumar must take out that zero from the figure and charge Rs 9 crore per film.
Why do producers give them so much money?
You journalists give them. There is no investigative media left.
Recently, I spoke to a film journalist who wrote that Shaitaan made Rs 70 crore (Rs 700 million).
I asked a simple question: Do you know how much Ajay Devgn charged for that film?
The answer I got was shocking. The journalist told me the figure was taken from the Internet!
And who puts these figures on the Internet? The same producer who produces the film.
What will be the ratio of star remuneration compared to the cost of a film?
It depends. If it is a top star, 80 to 90 percent of remuneration is taken by the top star in making a Rs 100 crore film.
Karan Johar has spoken about the hefty star fees in the making of films. Why did he say it?
He has clearly told actors that if they want to work with him, it has to be on his terms and conditions.
He has said you have to accept the price I pay you.
If there is a profit, I will shell out more.
He said he cannot give actors what they demand as their fees.
He has folded up the movie he was to do with Salman Khan. For another one, he was thinking of taking Akshay Kumar but that has also been shelved.
He is co-producing small movies because he has to pay his office staffers.
He recently co-produced Kill.
What can be done to revive the film industry?
It will not revive.
People have got into the habit of sitting at home (and watching films).
They don't want to watch movies in theatres because they do not want to waste as much as Rs 1,000 on tickets.
They feel there is no point in watching a film on the big screen because it will anyway come on OTT in a month's time.
When VCRs came in the 1980s, it was said that the theatre business would be finished but nothing happened after some initial hiccups. Do you feel OTT will also be a passing phase?
When the VCR came, things were different, as you did not get video cassettes easily.
Moreover, the quality of content was not good.
People did stop going to theatres but then the multiplex came and revived the theatre business.
Today, multiplex tickets are so expensive that movie-going has become a very expensive outing.
Once upon a time, going to cinema was the cheapest way of entertainment. Today, it is the most expensive form of entertainment.
How are multiplexes running then?
Shows are being cancelled due to lack of audiences.
Do we get big box office openings for star movies?
After COVID, people think it is better to sit at home and watch movies. This is a worldwide phenomenon.
In the USA, movies production has lessened by 50 percent.
Theatres are shutting down in the US and London.
Have you heard of a James Bond movie or a Marvel movie coming up? No. Recession has hit the movie industry all over the world.
Can't we create new stars for the new generation?
Shah Rukh Khan said he is the last superstar of India. He knows after him, there will be no superstar.
So many actors came like Rajkummar Rao but they did not become stars.
Will a cut in star fees revive the Hindi film industry?
It is very difficult to revive the Hindi film industry unless the ticket prices reduce to Rs 100.
Do multiplexes not know this?
They cannot reduce price tickets because electricity is so expensive to run theatres.
The government is not doing anything despite the fact that they talk all the time about giving industry status to the film industry.
If there are six screens in a multiplex, in reality, only four will be running.
There is no manager for a single theatre, a manager runs a multiplex chain.
There is no job for an usher in a multiplex.
Movies on desh bhakti were doing well and saw good footfalls in theatres. Will such films work?
People are tired of that also.
It worked for Uri. The movie was a novelty to viewers where they saw the Indian Army going inside Pakistan and bashing terrorists.
But in the last five years, so many films were made on those lines.
People are tired of seeing Pakistan getting abused on the big screen.
Nobody is interested in Pakistan, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
