MUMBAI: The film industry is not surprised at Karan Johar's eagerness to kowtow before Raj Thackeray's "hurt Marathi pride" on the eve of the release of Wake Up Sid
About Rs 35 crore is riding on the film and rough estimates by trade experts say a third of a film's business usually comes from the "Bombay territory" alone. This zone comprises, besides Mumbai, large chunks of Maharashtra and Gujarat. "So it is not surprising that Johar thought it prudent not to get into any debate and apologised straightaway," a trade expert said.
And the effect his "apology" had was immediate. Only a couple of shows were "disrupted" in Pune and Mumbai, distributors said, adding that they were happy at the way the situation was handled.
Cinemax Cinemas senior vice-president Devang Sampat said: "A film like Wake Up Sid would get between 35% and 40% of its total business from the Bombay territory alone as it is a multiplex film." UTV CEO Sidharth Roy Kapur said: "We did not lose anything because of the quick action taken by Johar."
Trade analyst Amod Mehra said the film might have lost Rs 5 crore-Rs 7 crore had it missed the first weekend. "The pre-Diwali weekend (the coming weekend in this case) is generally not good for films," he explained.
The film industry is also seething with anger but still does not know if it will be wise to take a stand on the issue. Director Mahesh Bhatt feels the industry should come together and approach the chief minister to find a solution to the issue. "A familiar nightmare is playing itself out for the nth time right under our gaze and we like are watching it without raising our voices. The tragedy of Bollywood is that we talk a lot of about freedom but do nothing to fight for it when it is in jeopardy," he said.
But there are many in the industry who feel the fraternity is not united and that is the reason they cannot take a stand on the issue. Producer N R Paschicia, who lost nearly Rs 3 crore at the time of the release of Joh Bole So Nihal, said: "It is sad that these political parties are trying to curb our creativity each time a film releases even after it has been cleared by the Censor Board. The industry needs to take a stand but, to take a stand, the industry needs to come together which is difficult because we are jealous of each other's success."
Producers say films have always been soft targets for politicians. "Every second film is put under the scanner. Jodha Akbar was not allowed to release in a major part of Rajasthan. The word 'mochi' had to be deleted from a song in the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Aaja Nach Le. Then someone objected to the word, 'teli', in a song from Kaminay," a producer said.
Producer Pritish Nandy, too, feels it is becoming a pattern. "Every time a film is about to release, there is some issue. The day is not far when actors and writers will be targeted as well," he said.
S:GN
About Rs 35 crore is riding on the film and rough estimates by trade experts say a third of a film's business usually comes from the "Bombay territory" alone. This zone comprises, besides Mumbai, large chunks of Maharashtra and Gujarat. "So it is not surprising that Johar thought it prudent not to get into any debate and apologised straightaway," a trade expert said.
And the effect his "apology" had was immediate. Only a couple of shows were "disrupted" in Pune and Mumbai, distributors said, adding that they were happy at the way the situation was handled.
Cinemax Cinemas senior vice-president Devang Sampat said: "A film like Wake Up Sid would get between 35% and 40% of its total business from the Bombay territory alone as it is a multiplex film." UTV CEO Sidharth Roy Kapur said: "We did not lose anything because of the quick action taken by Johar."
Trade analyst Amod Mehra said the film might have lost Rs 5 crore-Rs 7 crore had it missed the first weekend. "The pre-Diwali weekend (the coming weekend in this case) is generally not good for films," he explained.
The film industry is also seething with anger but still does not know if it will be wise to take a stand on the issue. Director Mahesh Bhatt feels the industry should come together and approach the chief minister to find a solution to the issue. "A familiar nightmare is playing itself out for the nth time right under our gaze and we like are watching it without raising our voices. The tragedy of Bollywood is that we talk a lot of about freedom but do nothing to fight for it when it is in jeopardy," he said.
But there are many in the industry who feel the fraternity is not united and that is the reason they cannot take a stand on the issue. Producer N R Paschicia, who lost nearly Rs 3 crore at the time of the release of Joh Bole So Nihal, said: "It is sad that these political parties are trying to curb our creativity each time a film releases even after it has been cleared by the Censor Board. The industry needs to take a stand but, to take a stand, the industry needs to come together which is difficult because we are jealous of each other's success."
Producers say films have always been soft targets for politicians. "Every second film is put under the scanner. Jodha Akbar was not allowed to release in a major part of Rajasthan. The word 'mochi' had to be deleted from a song in the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Aaja Nach Le. Then someone objected to the word, 'teli', in a song from Kaminay," a producer said.
Producer Pritish Nandy, too, feels it is becoming a pattern. "Every time a film is about to release, there is some issue. The day is not far when actors and writers will be targeted as well," he said.
S:GN
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