Indian box office may soon see a ‘hit’, albeit differently. In a turn of events, the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI), which covers several single-screen theatres in the country, declared after its meeting on Friday that films featuring Pakistani artistes and technicians will not release in single screens, starting with Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ (‘ADHM’), followed by ‘Dear Zindagi’ and ‘Raees’, among others.
Karan’s festive release, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma and Fawad Khan, has just been passed by the CBFC with only three cuts and a U/A certificate. But looks like patrons might not find it in most of the single screens.
The multiplexes haven’t made up their mind yet, and none was forthcoming to speak on the issue, officially. However, a source from a Mumbai multiplex chain, on the condition of anonymity, told media, “It’s a Karan Johar film, so it has an urban appeal and is predominantly meant for the multiplex audience. The single screens have ‘Shivaay’. All multiplexes hold meetings on Tuesdays, to discuss the forthcoming Friday’s release, so a decision will be taken only three days prior to release. I don’t see why multiplexes will not screen this film. No one would like to lose out on business, especially during Diwali. Political parties creating a ruckus is not new, we will need the police to cooperate.”
An industry insider added, “Given the sentiments of our countrymen, we can decide on what can be done in the future, but we cannot expect filmmakers to replace talent with less than 20 days left for release. The film was not made after the Uri attacks. And, if the Censor Board has cleared it, how can it not release on October 28? The government of India has not objected to it and there’s no question of a ban. Why won’t someone check the credibility of the body (COEAI), which has decided to not screen the film in single screens? Everyone is trying to gain publicity over this controversy.”
-Nitin Datar, President, COEAI-
“It was a unanimous decision made by the association after looking at the public sentiments and the current tension between India and Pakistan. We had to call for a meeting urgently and take a decision. All single screens that are part of the association have agreed, but I can’t say how many will execute it. After the IMPPA ban, a lot of filmmakers had said that artistes and filmmakers should not be punished as the filmmakers will bear the loss. But as far as I understand, no filmmaker bears a loss, because he/she sells numerous kinds of rights which fetch them a decent sum. Box-office collection is not the only way to recover costs. On the other hand, if we release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and our theatres are attacked, no one will help us recover our losses — ticket sales are all that we make our money from. The multiplex owners haven’t made up their mind yet, but we have.”
-MNS leader Amey Khopkar-
“My stand is final. I will not allow the film to release under any circumstances. I understand the argument of making Indian filmmakers and artistes suffer, but this is not the first time I have raised a red flag on this issue. I have been fighting for the cause for 11 years now. I have written letters to several producers on numerous occasions. Is there a dearth of talent in India? Casting Pakistani artiste is a mere ploy to garner more publicity, as these filmmakers know that we will protest against the decision. If they have waited for so long to release the film, they can push the date further and replace Fawad with an Indian actor. I don’t see it as a major issue, as he hardly has a 10-minute role in the film.”
It’s to be seen eventually how many single screens leave out Karan’s film over the big Diwali weekend. The decision made by the COEAI has, in the meantime, divided the industry’s opinion. We sought a few:
-Mahesh Bhatt-
“The producers’ body and the theatre owners’ association need to show compassion and behave justly with Karan Johar. This is wilful blindness.”
