New age business methods, computerized database management, more accountability and in effect rightful ownership of the earnings to the deserving. Come to think about it, the multiplex revolution in cinema today, has caused an ethnic cleansing of sorts in the Indian context, where again the blacks are suffering, the black here being the Black marketers.
Gone are the days, when the indicator of a movie’s worth at the box-office was its worth in the Black Market. From Amir’s endearing Munna in Rangeela to the claim to fame and thereby financial success of the black marketers at Minerva (A theatre in Mumbai, which witnessed glory at its best in 1975, when the cult film of Hindi cinema played there) at the time of release of Sholay, the relationship of the black guy (with a typical 10 ka 20, 10 ka 20 going on in the background) and Hindi cinema has been sort of inseparable, interesting and intriguing.
At the drought prone Indian box-office this year, it was a rare and pleasant sight to watch the black guys making merry across theatres in Mumbai yesterday. As the country basked in the glory of its independence, I took a small walk around these theatres (Chitra - Dadar, Apsara – Lamington Rd, Regal – Colaba) which played Chak De! India; and more jubilant than the victorious damsels in the movie, were the 10 ka 20 guys outside these theatres. ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ and they followed it to the T.
Almost everyone I know laments about the fact that Metro is now Metro Adlabs. Amongst other things, actual black, and not the white packaged black was missing at Metro. But when I had a brief chat with one of the escorts at Regal last year, he gave me his perspective on the same. I had visited the theatre exactly one day before the release of Fanaa when the multiplex v/s producers issue was raised openly for the first time. While I sat amidst the 8 or 10 occupants of the giant sized stall at Regal, to witness the final screening of Vikram Bhatt’s Ankahee I constantly kept wondering about how the expenses curve and revenues curve of the theatre kept acting like an estranged couple.
Cut two and I was at the Sunset Drive-In in Ahmedabad, on November 24th 2006. The date definitely holds a great significance at the Indian box-office, as currently India’s highest grosser at the BO, Dhoom-2 released on this day. Swarmed by thousands and thousands (and going by the size of the Drive In, I am not exaggerating on the numbers) of people from a cinema crazy nation, whose stampede on the unpaved flooring created a dusty, hazy ambience; the theatre must’ve had relived its glory from the bygone era, while I stood there ticket less, waiting for my black buddy to give me my boarding pass.
Today we talk about box-office records, every now and then. The first week collections decide it all, they say. If I may put in some statistics, K3G broke the record for the opening week’s collections in 2001 after a really long time, while Veer Zaara made K3G history in 2004, to become history at the hands of Mangal Pandey in 2005, which itself was defeated by Rang De Basanti in Jan 06, followed by Fanaa in May 06, then by Krrish in Jun 06, KANK in Aug 06 and finally and currently unparalleled by Dhoom-2 in Nov 06. So there goes.
While the film’s run at the BO is shortened, its worth is increasing and it cashes in on the initial hype. At the end of the day, when I see multiplexes charging rates which are even higher than the premium charged by the black guys of Indian cinema, I think about luxury, comfort and convenience. But in the whole scheme of things, the fabric of the society is changing, and the black business is getting legalized in a way (Of course the amenities that come at the cost the multiplexes charge at generally worth it. But a multiplex as shady as Citypride in Pune charging 140 for Chak De! is plain simple legal black, and nothing else. A Gaiety in Bandra offers far better seating and experience at lesser rates.)
So I again say, that Hindi cinema’s tryst with the black guys is never ending. it is just that when the white collared gentlemen from the corporatised multiplexes take on the black act, it is unjustified at times, and rightly justified most of the times; but it is certainly not half as entertaining as Munna in Rangeela.
As India stands poised for the modern socio-politico-economic era, I sit and brood. That I will join the bandwagon, and that I follow the statistics mentioned in the FICCI reports which fail to include the enthralling, interesting side of the black business is obvious but being on the cusp of the haves and have nots of India I take a minute and think whether there will be a day when some sort of a Bollywood museum will be built, and I walk with my grand children and show the statue of a skinny, stubble clad man, dressed in multi-coloured rags and say, this is how the black guy looked.
Gone are the days, when the indicator of a movie’s worth at the box-office was its worth in the Black Market. From Amir’s endearing Munna in Rangeela to the claim to fame and thereby financial success of the black marketers at Minerva (A theatre in Mumbai, which witnessed glory at its best in 1975, when the cult film of Hindi cinema played there) at the time of release of Sholay, the relationship of the black guy (with a typical 10 ka 20, 10 ka 20 going on in the background) and Hindi cinema has been sort of inseparable, interesting and intriguing.
At the drought prone Indian box-office this year, it was a rare and pleasant sight to watch the black guys making merry across theatres in Mumbai yesterday. As the country basked in the glory of its independence, I took a small walk around these theatres (Chitra - Dadar, Apsara – Lamington Rd, Regal – Colaba) which played Chak De! India; and more jubilant than the victorious damsels in the movie, were the 10 ka 20 guys outside these theatres. ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ and they followed it to the T.
Almost everyone I know laments about the fact that Metro is now Metro Adlabs. Amongst other things, actual black, and not the white packaged black was missing at Metro. But when I had a brief chat with one of the escorts at Regal last year, he gave me his perspective on the same. I had visited the theatre exactly one day before the release of Fanaa when the multiplex v/s producers issue was raised openly for the first time. While I sat amidst the 8 or 10 occupants of the giant sized stall at Regal, to witness the final screening of Vikram Bhatt’s Ankahee I constantly kept wondering about how the expenses curve and revenues curve of the theatre kept acting like an estranged couple.
Cut two and I was at the Sunset Drive-In in Ahmedabad, on November 24th 2006. The date definitely holds a great significance at the Indian box-office, as currently India’s highest grosser at the BO, Dhoom-2 released on this day. Swarmed by thousands and thousands (and going by the size of the Drive In, I am not exaggerating on the numbers) of people from a cinema crazy nation, whose stampede on the unpaved flooring created a dusty, hazy ambience; the theatre must’ve had relived its glory from the bygone era, while I stood there ticket less, waiting for my black buddy to give me my boarding pass.
Today we talk about box-office records, every now and then. The first week collections decide it all, they say. If I may put in some statistics, K3G broke the record for the opening week’s collections in 2001 after a really long time, while Veer Zaara made K3G history in 2004, to become history at the hands of Mangal Pandey in 2005, which itself was defeated by Rang De Basanti in Jan 06, followed by Fanaa in May 06, then by Krrish in Jun 06, KANK in Aug 06 and finally and currently unparalleled by Dhoom-2 in Nov 06. So there goes.
While the film’s run at the BO is shortened, its worth is increasing and it cashes in on the initial hype. At the end of the day, when I see multiplexes charging rates which are even higher than the premium charged by the black guys of Indian cinema, I think about luxury, comfort and convenience. But in the whole scheme of things, the fabric of the society is changing, and the black business is getting legalized in a way (Of course the amenities that come at the cost the multiplexes charge at generally worth it. But a multiplex as shady as Citypride in Pune charging 140 for Chak De! is plain simple legal black, and nothing else. A Gaiety in Bandra offers far better seating and experience at lesser rates.)
So I again say, that Hindi cinema’s tryst with the black guys is never ending. it is just that when the white collared gentlemen from the corporatised multiplexes take on the black act, it is unjustified at times, and rightly justified most of the times; but it is certainly not half as entertaining as Munna in Rangeela.
As India stands poised for the modern socio-politico-economic era, I sit and brood. That I will join the bandwagon, and that I follow the statistics mentioned in the FICCI reports which fail to include the enthralling, interesting side of the black business is obvious but being on the cusp of the haves and have nots of India I take a minute and think whether there will be a day when some sort of a Bollywood museum will be built, and I walk with my grand children and show the statue of a skinny, stubble clad man, dressed in multi-coloured rags and say, this is how the black guy looked.
2 comments:
Loved it dude. Especially the bit about multiplexes charging rates which are same as or higher than the black rates.
Brilliant. In one stroke, you have etched out an entire study on the subject. This post really belongs in a paper or magazine.
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