Some Respite for Vishwaroobam

Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam has been facing several hurdles. One among them was the case filed by Regent Saimira, requesting the court to stay the release of the film. The production house has cited that the actor has taken money for acting in Marmayogi, which never materialised and he is yet to return the money.

However, when the case came for hearing yesterday, the High Court has dismissed the petition and refused to grant a stay.

Digitisation will help films struggling for release

Digitisation will be a boon for hundreds of unreleased films struggling to find cinemas, feels Prasad, president of the Film Chamber of Commerce, South India.

“There are approximately 400 films still lying in labs without any takers and lack of cinemas. Digitisation will certainly help these unreleased films make some money,” Prasad said.

“Platforms such as Direct-To-Home (DTH) and Youtube need to be welcomed to help these films get released,” he added.

Prasad also supported actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan’s decision to release “Vishwaroopam” via DTH. “Vishwaroopam” is a Tamil-Hindi bilingual film, written, directed and produced by Kamal. It will be released on DTH Jan 10, a day before its theatrical release Jan 11.

“I welcome the move by Kamal Haasan to release his film on DTH and we will extend our support in this endeavour,” he said.

Asked if digitisation will replace cinemas, Prasad said: “In this digital era, both cinemas and digital platforms can mutually co-exist provided theatre owners don’t stop protesting against the release of films.”

“By protesting, theatre owners are in a way only persuading audiences to resort to using digital options,” said Prasad.

Kamal announces short film contest

Kamal announces short film contest
Kamal Haasan who is set to release his Vishwaroopam through DTH has announced a short film contest on the topic of DTH. The films should be of one minute duration and the entries should reach him by Dec 31.
Kamal’s announcement to have a DTH premiere for his film has created quite a controversy in the film industry and theatre owners and distributors have decided not to release the film in theatres.

Bharathi Raja to follow Kamal footsteps

Bharathi Raja to follow Kamal footsteps
Director Bharathi Raja is gearing up for the audio launch of his Annakodiyum Kodiveeranum in Madurai. Cinemalead has earlier reported that he is planning to bring Rajini, Kamal and Sridevi for the event.
Recently in a media interaction the director has said that he will also try to release his film in DTH. While welcoming the move by Kamal Haasan to have a DTH premiere for his Vishwaroopam, he said that one should always welcome new technologies with open hands. He added that in future he will try to release his films using the DTH technology.

Kamal defends DTH move for Viswaroopam

Kamal Haasan is not going back on his decision to release his new film Viswaroopam on the DTH platform. On Sunday, the actor-filmmaker defended his move to introduce the film in pay-per-view mode on direct-to-home (DTH) networks on the day of its theatrical release. He said, the move needed understanding rather than spot judgements and associated anxieties. In an audiocast on social network SoundCloud, the actor said the digital screener should be seen as opening new vistas for legitimate revenues for cinema at a time when video piracy was wrecking the industry. The screener would be a one-time affair priced at Rs. 1,000. “This is targeted at a niche segment that wants to be entertained in the comfort of their homes. It is purely for the excitement of watching it on the first day. The cinema hall experience is still something else,” he said. The national award-winning actor also allayed fears about the technology. “The encoded movie content will not be stored in DTH set-top boxes once viewed,” he said. The decision to release the movie on DTH has set the industry abuzz over the past week. Though the move has received largely positive responses from online forums, there have been talks that producers and exhibitors have been unhappy. The Tamil Film Producers Association has called for an urgent meeting in Chennai on Monday to discuss and debate Mr. Haasan’s decision. In his statement, the actor indicated he was unlikely to budge. “We are talking about catering to a niche segment. The majority is still going to enjoy the movie in cinema halls. We have recorded the sound in world-class technology (auro sound). That was done to get people to cinema halls. Running scared of DTH is like the majority of 99 per cent getting scared of the 1 per cent,” he said. He also said, for good cinema to thrive, filmmakers must be allowed to explore all legitimate avenues for legally generating revenues. Saying no to the move would be paving further way for video pirates to thrive. The update on SoundCloud was put up by the actor’s e-zine Maiam on his official Facebook page on Sunday evening. It went viral within minutes of uploading, garnering more than 5,000 views in less than two hours.