How movies like Pathaan bring fireworks to single-screen theatres, help in their revival | Sunday Special

By Bhavna Agarwal: Indian cinema is and has always been about celebrations. Big screen, larger-than-life characters with perfectly lip-synced and well-choreographed songs. The 70s, 80s, and the 90s, unapologetically thrived on these tropes. At the centre of it all, were single-screen theatres, that connected the masses to the stars.

Single-screen theatres in India have been witness to all the crazy, superstardom aspects of ‘stars'. Walking into a single-screen theatre to a crowd humming, breaking into a dance or randomly repeating a dialogue as loudly as the star on the screen is an experience in itself.

Sadly, with the multiplex market taking over the business in major circuits, takers for single-screens have seen a huge slump, especially in markets like Mumbai and Delhi. Some 13-15 single-screen theatres are currently running in Mumbai and only three have managed to stay afloat in Delhi.

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Recently, as Eros Cinema in the plush landmark location of Mumbai’s Churchgate was seen being remodelled, fans were sad. "End of a glorious era" some said.

Recently, with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, good news came in. More than 25 single-screen theatres in India were revived, mostly in the northern belt. Chatter around how only "a king could manage to do this" in the lanes of Mumbai suburbs were heard.

It is no secret that single-screens have been an indispensable part of the movie business. They withstood globalisation, for a long period, but they are on ventilator in the north. But the case isn't the same in the south.

In the southern part of the country, films starring superstars are thriving and are in huge demand in single-screens.

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So, what’s different in the northern belt? Is the growth of multiplex culture alone to be blamed? How can single-screens be revived and made sustainable?

A CUE FROM THE SOUTH

IndiaToday.in spoke to experts from the industry.

“It’s not like single-screen-led business has ceased to exist. Look at the south, if you look at Tamil Nadu or Telangana, their single-screens rule and contribute to the largest chunk of the collections," says trade expert Akshaye Rathi.

Rathi says it is not because multiplexes didn’t enter those markets, it is because the content, starring the biggest of stars, "is made for the common denominator of the social strata".

"They appeal to the common man who can afford a ticket only at a single-screen,” explains Rathi.

Films like Pushpa, KGF or RRR, PS1 and 2, Kantara have proved to be pan-India success. Smaller films like Vikram, Thunivu or Varisu also brought audiences to the theatres. What’s common to all these films is that they are rooted. They are as desi as it can get and speak a language that is understood by the masses.

“When you look at the Hindi-speaking belt, Hindi movies in general became elitist and urban-centric in the last two decades. The audience that goes to single-screens, the ‘aam aadmi’ really found that content to be unpalatable to them, thereby depriving those cinemas of revenues," says Rathi.

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"So, I really think that the problem is not the single-screen or the audiences' mindset. But the real problem is the kind of content that we are putting out in general,” he adds.

MASS VS NICHE CONTENT

In Hindi cinema, the last big successes have been the larger-than-life superstar films. Be it a Pathaan or a Bhola or a Sooryavanshi, films with high entertainment value managed to do better business than many other films, bracketed under the ‘niche’ umbrella. Don't we need the niche films or should we only dish out high-octane movies?

"Of course, I am not saying we should not make niche films, but for every Ship of Theseus or for every Badhaai Do, we need four-five more Pathaans and Tigers, only then we will be able to sustain the industry as a whole,” says Rathi.

Another trade expert Taran Adarsh says that audiences coming to the single-screens is completely dependent on the content. If the content appeals to them and promises entertainment, they will flock to it. As we saw in the case of Pathaan, most recently.

TIER-2 and TIER-3 CANNOT BE IGNORED

While single-screens in metro cities might have seen a slump, trade expert Rathi says that Tier-2 and Tier-3 audience might still opt for a single-screen over a multiplex. But they have been ignored by the production houses.

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“We need to realise that India is way beyond Mumbai or Delhi. We really need to recognise that there are markets like Indore Nagpur, Jaipur Lucknow, Patna, which also have a huge population that can go to the cinema because movie-going experience, for them, remains a fundamental avenue for recreation,” the trade expert adds.

He says in smaller towns, especially Tiers-2 and 3 are the audience that are deprived of recreation avenues, due to lack of choices. They are willing to go and spend on a film that demands their attention.

“We are depriving them of the kind of recreation that they like in the movie halls,” he stresses. “We are trying to actually overfeed a supersaturated market, which is spoilt for choice, and depriving a market that’s really craving entertainment.”

For example, a film like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, starring Salman Khan, opened to a mixed response. Despite that, fans flocked in huge numbers, especially in Rajasthan, UP and MP to watch Bhai in action. The film clocked Rs 100 crore despite being critically slammed. Who are these audiences? The common man, who seeks pure and raw entertainment.

DESI FOR THE WIN

Filmmakers have earlier mentioned that the only way to success is that we need to go local to be global.

Be it the Korean film, Parasite or Spanish show Money Heist, they cracked the global market with local content.

“The audience that at large goes to single-screens is not a very snooty, snobbish audience. It's an audience that just needs good picture, good lighting and sound, good washrooms, decent food and a comfortable chair,” explains another trade expert.

“Films will work if they have content and filmmakers are taking note of it. There is collective conscience to make films that can revive business overall. Single-screen theatres contribute and are a huge part of the value chain of the movie business,” says Taran Adarsh.

DISCONNECT WITH GROUND REALITY

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, we have seen and heard of actors visiting and meeting the common man through various mediums to stay rooted to the ground reality. Today, apart from some city tours, actors or the production houses hardly indulge in reaching out to the wider audience.

“We need to recognise the audience that exists in this country, we need to embrace this demographic and start making films for them. Currently, in the Hindi belt, there is a huge disconnect between what the filmmakers, actors and talent management agencies are thinking versus the ground realities,” says Akshaye Rathi.

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Interestingly, most single-screen theatres that are currently functioning are the ones that are run through the passion, more than money.

However, not much is done to reach out to the owners to understand their grievances and mitigate the losses.

“How many actors or filmmakers do you think even know the owners of the single-screens? None. They are not being able to look beyond the national chains. Earlier, in the 80s, 90s, filmmakers like Rakesh Roshan, Boney Kapoor and Mukesh Bhatt among others used to call up the owners of single-screens to understand the kind of response and reactions that are coming from the market. I can't think of any filmmaker today who does that. So, the ears and eyes are not on the ground, they have no idea of the way people are reacting to their content,” opines Rathi.

WOES OF SINGLE-SCREEN OWNERS

Manoj Desai, the executive director of G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema, mentions that while theatres under them are doing well, they are disappointed with filmmakers ignoring single-screens' demands.

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“Producers and distributors open the bookings for multiplexes first and keep the single-screen bookings on hold till a day or two before the movie's release. This is stupidity. They are doing this on purpose to promote multiplexes. They want to earn more,” says Manoj Desai.

He says they keep a low-ticket price for the audience to keep the theatre running. “We are capped to sell tickets at the lowest rate instead of keeping an empty theatre. It goes up to a maximum of Rs 160. Our prices are for the lower middle-class audience,” Desai says. “We are ignored. Marathi Mandir is a heritage-like theatre but there is absolutely no benefit given to us.”

Manoj Desai mentions that everyone is greedy, the producer, the distributor, only exhibitors are left to struggle. He mentioned that lack of prioritisation in marketing campaigns also takes away opportunities from single-screen theatres.

While it is apparent that you cannot take away single-screens from the movie chain business, it wouldn’t hurt to help reclaim their spot in the near future.

As Shah Rukh Khan says in Pathaan, "Party Pathaan ke ghar pe rakhoge, to mehmaan nawazi ke liye to Pathaan ayega hi, aur saath patakhe bhi layega."

It's time for more Pathaans and fireworks at single-screens.

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