So.
I went to go see Tashan last Friday. I can't exactly tell you how excited I was...the movie has everything I love, especially Akshay Kumar. It looked so badass I just...ok, well really I can't describe how badly I wanted, NEEDED, to see this movie. I saw a trailor for it when I left India...I wished I could stay for just a few more
months, so I could have the experience in the theatre. The film, which was directed by the same genius behind the DHOOM series, was hyped up for MONTHS in advance, mostly through the slow trickle-release of singles from the soundtrack, and trailors that gave very little away (other than shots of explosions, gun blasts, and lots of leggy actresses). Low and behold, Buckland Hills shows Bolly films like two nights a week, and they're all usually really new films, like still-playing-in-India-new.Tashan was playing last week. And I missed it.
I was already running late and it was pouring rain. I was driving my mom's car so I couldn't be a total maniac, but I was still something close to that. We ran through the parking lot, my sister and I, and get to the counter. I look up at the board with all the show times...Made of Honor...What Happens in Vegas...Baby Mama...where was Tashan? We asked the kid (he just happened to be Indian) at the counter why Tashan wasn't on the board. This kid gave us a smirk, and said that it ended last night. I drove all that way, I was soaked in the rain, but none of that mattered...all day at work I had been thinking, "Yes! This is it, I am finally going to see what will undoubtedly be either the second or third biggest cinematic hit of the year in India!" I just wanted to see the movie. It crossed my mind that perhaps I could persuade the skinny teen to show it on the sly...surely there was one theatre that was open. And why wouldn't he say yes? From one Hindustani to another!
That night, with my head hung low and my eyes still damp with tears, I paid for two tickets to see Baby Mama. I hate Tina Fey. Not because I didn't get to see Tashan. I just don't like her.
Will I get to see Tashan? Of course. Like more than half of my collection, I will buy it from Cosmos Intl, the Indian and Pakistani (but mostly Indian) goods store in West Hartford. They get the movies pretty much the week that they come out in theatres in India. "My, I knew that India was crazy about movies Jesse, but they sell and distribute them INTERNATIONALLY the same week they are released?!" No.
Bollywood's biggest problem is distribution. Yes, it is currently the largest film industry in the world, but let me tell you something-- it hardly makes a cent on film distribution sales. Here's a few reasons why:
1) It's still not really that common in India to be able to purchase movies for watching...just like in "Amrika", a long time ago movies were only available to be viewed in theatres, so you'd better get in quick. Those were the days when a movie would show for a number of weeks, that way everyone would get a chance to see it at least once. Our culture now is one that now knows, "Yeah, of course I'd love to see that movie, but for a few more dollars I can buy it in three months and watch it whenever I want." This mindset came about when we started readily developing and supplying at-home movie viewing devices, like VHS and DVD players. India is still kind of on the cusp of this change, so the cumpulsion to see a film while it lasts in theatres still exists. Wealthier families do own DVD players, but they're like the smallest fraction of the population. THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE is that companies like Eros and Dharma Productions aren't making money selling legit copies of their film catalogue because no one has a way to watch them.
"But Jesse, how can you make the argument that people in villages don't buy copies of these films because they have no way of viewing them? Surely they don't have theatres either...how does this lack of availability in rural areas hurt only distribution sales and not film release sales?"
NO. God. No. India film companies know that they're like almighty. Everyone loves seeing movies, so if they can make money off a sure thing, they'll make money by making sure EVERYONE gets to watch (and pay for a ticket) the movie. Many villages that have little governments set up will collect money and pay to have traveling movie projectors visit their town and play a film. They come, set up a screen, play a movie or two and then peace. Most people, even in villages, are able to see new releases, and so they do. These traveling projectors also sometimes show older films too. By ensuring that no matter where you are, you will be able to see their movie when it comes out, the film companies are winning. But the same can't be said for a DVD player.
2) India is rife with film piracy. To purchase a legit film can cost anywhere between 75-350 Rps., depending on the film, the store, and the date of release. Kal Ho Naa Ho is one of the most popular Bollywood movies of all time, but I got it for 76 rupees, since it was released years ago and it was on sale. Film sellers in India do the same thing that they do here in the U.S. But lets say I wanted to purchase a newer film, perhaps Heyy Babyy...This could cost me around 310 Rps, if it was on sale. Why would I spend that kind of coin when I can go to the guy on the corner with the fakes and buy 5 new releases for only a fraction of that cost? Well I'll tell you, I wouldn't.
Well I would, and I did, actually, because I can afford to. But most people can't, and many pirated copies aren't shot that poorly. As long as you can speak Hindi, then they're much better, if you can't afford the real copies. But here's the thing: I can't speak Hindi well enough to understand a Bollywood heist movie-- I just can't. I need a real translator to have written really good subtitles. However, the pirated copies have the most godawful subtitles in the universe of the world. I can't even give you and example, I've blocked them all from my memory. Still, most of my collection are pirated copies. The little store that I get my movies from has two kinds of copies:
-If you want the movie the week of its release in India, then you can get it for $2, but it will be pirated.
-If you can wait until the real release, then the store will buy one copy and make a billion copies to sell for $3. The plus? Real, company-written subtitles. The downside? Everyone saw this movie 3 months ago.
Now I'm a Bollywood freak, as you know. When I missed out on Tashan in the theatre, I knew that the store already had a pirated copy available for the last two weeks. BUT I WANTED THOSE SUBTITLES. There is a constant war going on in my Bolly heart-- Do I wait months to see the movie for what it is with the real subtitles? Or does my carnivorous core drive an hour to West Hartford to buy the worst translation job ever known to film? Usually the second wins. But with Tashan, I will tell you...I am not even allowing myself to go to Cosmos Intl until I know they have a legit copy. Not even if I'm out of cumin seeds.
The conclusion. India is developing at time-warping speed these days. I'm in no way saying that between the dirt firepit and the all purpose blade with a village home be placing a DVD player, but I think that the film distribution branches of companies like Eros will start being a bit inventive to get more money. I don't know what they're going to do, but I do know one thing: they look at America, and see that our film sales are almost equal with box office sales. Now that's a market.
Post Script:
Tashan turned out to be a major flop. It was hated by critics and audiences alike. I'm glad I saved my seven bucks, and now I can wait in my yearniest heart of hearts for the real release with REAL SUBTITLES.
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