Shutdown hits small filmmakers 

Normally, on a holiday like Holi festival, 110 theatres in the twin cities would have been buzzing with activity. Instead, the 540-odd theatres in Telangana wore a deserted look as exhibitors shut down theatres throughout South India protesting the exploitation by Digital Service Providers. 

Surely, movie buffs confined themselves to home since the shutdown was widely publicised. “Usually, for Holi festival, we used to get good crowds to the theatres in Telangana, including the twin cities. The crowds used to comprise youngsters and even family audience, but it has been a dull day on Friday due to the shutdown. 

Some our staff members have gone to their villages, while a few others are enjoying a holiday,” says leading exhibitor Sunil Narang who runs the famed Asian Cinemas in the City of Pearls. However, a leading producer-director Chandra Siddartha claims that the shutdown has affected the release of 15-odd films, including `Kirakk Party’, ‘Rajugadu,’ and ‘Aata Gadhara Shiva,’ more than digital service providers.

“It is true that the shutdown has come down heavily on small budget films. We were planning to release our film `Aata Gadhara…’ on March 9, but now we are clueless. Usually, producers of small films wait for off-season like March (exam time) or December since star-studded films occupy all theatres during summer and other big festivals. Surely, the conflict between bigwigs as taken its toll on small films and extended our agonizing wait,” he laments. 

Actually, Nikhil starrer ‘Kirakk Party’ has been deferred for the last three to four months and finally set to hit the screens on March 14. “We have already postponed the film a couple of times to avoid a clash with big films. But it is getting bit long and testing our nerves. Hope, shutdown ends sooner than later,” concludes producer Anil Sunkara.

By BVS Prakash