FILMS IN A FIX AS THEATRES BAR THE WEB

Digital rights add to income, but filmmakers are asked not to show a new film online in the first weeks

The expansion of digital platforms for films is creating unprecedented situations for the entertainment industry. Recently, there was a standoff between the producers of the horror film, 1921, and owners of multiplexes. The film’s producers had sold TV and digital rights, but the theatre

owners wanted a deal under which the film wouldn’t be shown on any other platform for a certain number of days after the theatrical release. Sounds complicated? That’s because it is. As new tech emerges, the old guard is feeling the heat — and deals may resemble the mythical Gordian knot. Bollywood trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “This happened with the film Simran (2017), too. The filmmakers had to relent, and give a letter to the theatre owners that they would not release the film anywhere else before a certain amount of time. This is also why Tumhari Sulu got a proper release on time. The multiplex owners, during the time of Simran, took an undertaking from [the producer of both the films] that they wouldn’t telecast [or release online] their subsequent films.”

Milan Luthria, who made the 2017 film Baadshaho, says on satellite rights, “A lump sum [of money] changes hands for a finite period of time, after which film rights can be resold. It’s a simple transaction, where platforms that want your product, pay for it. There’s no flat amount.”

Trade analyst Komal Nahta reveals that the system of not allowing a film to release anywhere else within the first, say, 60 days is a recent phenomenon. “It has only gained momentum in the past four-five months,” he says.

Producer Bhushan Kumar says, “It will be the guild’s call. Earlier, there were just satellite rights, but now we have digital platforms as well. We’re having discussions.”

Stills from top: Tumhari Sulu, Simran, Lipstick Under My Burkha, and 1921