A treat at the movies this summer

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Distributor-exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says, “2017 is going to be high on big-ticket franchises and sequels”. He adds, “That’s why most of the upcoming Hollywood biggies are meant for big-screen experiences, so, it’s going to be an exciting few weeks, especially with the constantly growing audiences for Hollywood movies in India.” Interestingly, Adarsh readily admits that the upcoming Hollywood biggies are “surely” going to pose tough competition to Bollywood films. “Over the last few years, the penetration of Hollywood films has become very deep in India. They are no longer limited to only English but local languages such as Hindi, Tamil and Telugu too,” he says. But Rathi feels that if Hollywood biggies bring in audiences to theatres, it’s “great for the overall business and exhibition industry”. “In 52 weeks (in a year), only seven to eight big-ticket Hindi films hit theatres. If a big Hollywood movie is releasing, other medium or smaller Bollywood films can coexist along with them, so, it’s a win-win situation for both,” he says. Filmmaker Kabir Khan, however, adds that it all boils down to the quality of films. He says, “We should be proud that Bollywood is one of the few markets that have stood their ground firmly against Hollywood. So, instead of being afraid, we should amp up our films’ quality and compete, since everyone is free to present their work.”