Entertainment
Some producers are killing film industry, says Ronnie Screwvala (Lead, correcting para 3)
By Sugandha Rawal
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Bollywood producer and entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala doesn’t mince words to censure the practice of selling satellite rights and rights to a digital medium before a film opens in theatres.
He says producers are “killing the industry” by adopting this business model, as it is a big threat to the existence of theatres in India.
“The problem is that a lot of producers have screwed up the windows (of business) and that is the threat. The threat is when some producers decide that ‘I am not sure about the movie so I will pre-sell it. I will sell it to Netflix and it will come on the platform in four weeks and then I will sell it to Star, Zee or Sony and it will come on TV in the next five weeks,” Screwvala told IANS in an interview here.
“I am saying that if you are not sure about the movie, then why make it?” he questioned.
There’s a lot of money involved in making a film, and the trend continues with the makers securing exclusive deals running in crores by selling satellite television rights and partnering with a digital medium.
“This is killing the industry,” Screwvala asserted.
“There are two reasons that you as an audience will go to the theatre. One is when you love the trailer and secondly, word of mouth. The reason you wouldnaAt go to the movie theatre despite liking the trailer is when you know the film will come on some medium in the next three weeks.
“If you feel that the film should be watched on the big screen, then I will go. Otherwise, I will watch it in three weeks. I will be choosy. That window is the single biggest problem happening in the space.
“Hollywood films are doing better in India because they don’t put their movies on any platform for six months. It should be the same with Bollywood.”
Screwvala, the former Disney UTV managing director, is the brain behind RSVP — his motion picture company, co-founder of UpGrad, an ed-tech startup, Swades Foundation and he has also attached his creative vision to UCypher, a multi-platform eSports league.
He has joined hands with global streaming video service Netflix to release his “Love Per Square Foot”, which features Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar.
Talking about the move, he said: “What I have done is that when I want to sell it Netflix, I will keep the window there only. And when I want to go to theatres, then I will opt for that way.”
He said: “People should be straightforward about the fact that ‘I don’t expect you to watch it in theatre, so I am going to the digital medium’.
“The other way is killing everything. Multiplexes won’t be able to grow and we need them. We need to co-exist.”
As a producer, he is backing diverse subjects. “Uri” tells a story of India’s surgical strike on terrorist hubs in Pakistan; then there’s a film set in the world of blind cricket; and a biopic on veteran advocate-politician Ram Jethmalani. He is also co-producing “Salute”, a biopic on India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma.
Screwvala says he wants to tell stories that need to be told.
“And stories that with reality and contextuality,” he said, adding that he hopes to create franchises with his projects.
(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
sug/rb/vm
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
Content provided by Adverloom
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
