There's a funny story doing the rounds in film circles. Exhibitors have decided to send out their employees to learn Bharatnatyam. Reason? They have no work and need ``gainful employment'', since there are no tickets to sell, no crowds to usher, no accounts to keep and hardly any blockbusters to look forward to. It's time to press the panic button in the film industry.
``1999 has been the worst year in the 84-year history of the talkie, with 90 per cent of the films ending up as major box office disasters,'' says Taran Adarsh, trade pundit. This year too, there has been just one hit, Kaho Naa Pyar Hai, which is hardly enough to sustain an industry which employs 2.5 million people and needs to generate a revenue of Rs4000 - 6000 crore to stay afloat.
Consider the films lined up for release in the coming months. Bhoot Raj, Rahasya, Zahreele, Daku Sultana, Saagar Kanya, Dolly Darling, Club Dancer No 1. The film industry is threatened to be swamped by the B-Grade film, which boasts of neither quality nor content and caters only to the mofussil market.
Are there no biggies at all - the one Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that can keep the mega bucks flowing? ``Only a handful like Chal Mere Bhai, Josh, Refugee, Mohabbatein and Deewane,'' points out Uday Kaushish, distributor-exhibitor. Obviously, five films - which may or may not click- can hardly make for a rich harvest.
Another telling sign of the current crisis is the fast depleting coffers of the state entertainment tax departments. According to Kaushish, ``since there are hardly any films being released, the revenue targets of the Delhi ET department are not being met. Currently, it has been going around with the begging bowl asking exhibitors to pay up in advance.'' A sorry state since theatres are themselves being faced with closures. As Sanjay Mehta points out: ``Even as the exhibition outlets for films seem to be growing on the satellite channels, the theatrical film business is hitting an all time low.''
Concerned trade pundits have some remedies to offer which might provide a fillip to the fast falling revenue graph of the film industry.
* Scale down ``unreasonable'' entertainment tax structures. According to Komal Nahata, trade pundit, ``India should follow a uniform tax structure which should not be higher than 25-30 percent.'' Currently, it staggers up to 70 per cent too in certain states.
* Curb piracy. And that means, actually curb it, instead of merely having a law on paper. As Kaushish points out: ``Not a single conviction has been made under the copyright Act until now. That is because a case takes 15 years to reach a verdict. Would a film maker like Yash Chopra come personally to a court in Bikaner or UP 15 years down the line to fight for justice?'' No, he wouldn't.
* Deflate ballooning star salaries. Can a cash-crunched industry afford to pay Rs 3.5 crore per film to Shah Rukh Khan, Rs 2.5 crore to Salman Khan, Rs 2 crors to newcomer Hrithik Roshan? ``The stars and their starry ways are partly to be blamed for the current mess,'' says Nahata.
* Declare it as an industry and this time, be serious about it. ``Okay, so we are the largest film-producing country. But does the government really think so?'' queries Nahata. ``It has given it the status of an industry, but only on paper. Institutional finance is still a far cry for the small film maker who wants to experiment and take risks.''
So what's keeping the industry still afloat? ``Hope, new money, new blood which is lured by the glamour. As long as 20 builders and 20 diamond merchants have stars in their eyes, they will pump in money, loose it and then go back,'' concludes Nahata. Unless people who matter decide the film industry actually matters.
