Coronavirus impact explained: how the Indian film industry was hit and is preparing for a new normal

The Indian film industry is going through its worst phase due to the blockade required by the coronavirus pandemic. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)

Big premieres were postponed, filming for movies, TV series and the web stopped, cinemas were unable to screen movies, salaried employees fighting for their next meal … the 183 billion rupee Indian film industry is going through its worst phase due to the blockade required by the coronavirus pandemic. While the impact of the blockade on the overall industry is still being assessed, we note how low production and related fields have suffered in India in the past month.

Covid-19’s first impact came when Reliance Entertainment on March 12 indefinitely postponed Rohit Shetty’s film Sooryavanshi. The movie starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif was scheduled to be released on March 24. This was quickly followed by Sir, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Haathi Mere Sathi and 83 who were also postponed. Baaghi 3 saw fewer takers in its second week, and Irrfan Khan’s Angrezi Medium had to be dropped from theaters. It was finally launched on the OTT Disney + Hotstar platform. Similarly, many major regional language launch entries have also been delayed.

The domino effect of Covid-19 was felt when film agencies, including the Federation of West Indian Film Employees (FWICE) and the Association of Film and Television Directors of India (IFTDA), decided to stop filming movies. , television shows and web series. Major producers such as Balaji Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions, and Yash Raj Films also promptly canceled all production activity. Amid this, several state governments ordered the closing of movie theaters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on March 24 of a 21-day national shutdown sealed the fate of several projects.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s highly anticipated Brahmastra also stopped production. The movie which, after several delays, finally premiered on December 4, 2020, now appears to be looking to an uncertain future. Shahid Kapoor’s shirt, a new version of the Telugu coup of the same name, also stopped shooting to ensure the safety of his crew.
Among the hit movies is Gangubai Kathiawadi by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “I don’t understand how they will manage Gangubai’s production now. Their set was created in Film City and it will start to rain in June,” said veteran actor Seema Pahwa, who plays a role in the film. “I’m sitting at home when it was supposed to I was supposed to shoot for another movie and a web series. The things we’ve been committed to until December will also be pressured. All hours are for a giveaway, and we can’t sign a new job. “

Losses from deferral of launches

Ranveer Singh’s 83 sports drama was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

After an exciting January-February offering a mix with Tanhaji, Chhapaak, Street Dancer 3D, Panga, Malang, Bhoot, and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, March-April was supposed to be reserved for sports drama 83 by Sooryavanshi and Ranveer Singh with The Extended Easter Weekend is expected to help raise at the box office. It now appears that Salman Khan, Radhe’s Eid release and Akshay Kumar’s Diwali release, Prithviraj, could also take a hit. Karan Johar’s long-awaited period drama Takht was set to hit the ground in the coming months. Now things don’t look bright even for the masterpiece.

Experts estimate that the entertainment industry has already lost more than Rs 1 billion due to the blockade. “This is the first time in our history that the entire box office in India is zero.

There have been strikes and regional closings in the past, but nothing affects India. I think it will be a quarter zero, which is a great thing. The release schedule will be maintained until 2021, ”revealed commercial analyst Girish Johar.

According to a report by Financial Express, the film industry faced a decrease of 29.1 percent to Rs 1,062.4 million rupees in the first quarter of 2020, which stood at Rs 1,499.4 million rupees for the same period of the year past.

Actor Taapsee Pannu, who was enjoying the success of Thappad before the shutdown occurred, said: “I think all companies will face a small financial hit, including the film industry. The type of content that people will produce will also be seen. affected “.

Taapsee Pannu in a frame from Thappad.

Still, photographer Tejinder Singh, who has worked on projects like Netflix’s Manmarziyaan, Chhapaak, Thappad and The White Tiger, explained: “It is a very intimate work, be it men of light, electricians, sound technicians, costumes of so many hands reaching out to the actors. ” Many people feed you, the local boys are giving you water and that is also messy. Then there are trips involved. “He said projects that could have been funded by the release of certain films by the producers could now be affected.” It’s going to change a lot of dynamics about which film goes into production and when. The later we get on board, the better it will be. I think nothing will happen before August. “

Impact on the film business

Suman Chowdhury, president of ratings at Acuité Ratings and Research, told Equitybulls that Acuité expects a 50 percent drop in multiplex footprints in the coming quarter, particularly in metropolitan cities and Tier II. Chowdhury predicts that many movie releases will be postponed and there will be an erosion in earnings for multiplex players listed as PVR and INOX.

Impact on the television industry

A still photo of Mahabharat.

Despite the channels depleting their episode bank, overall media consumption during the period of self-isolation has increased by 60 percent, according to research firm Nielsen. Additionally, Doordarshan’s plan to rebroadcast iconic shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Byomkesh Bakshi has been well received, prompting other channels to bring in their popular shows like Hum Paanch, CID, and Siya Ke Ram. DD saw a 650% increase in viewership in one week, and became the most viewed channel for two consecutive weeks. It even broke its own record by reaching an audience of 1.9 billion across all GECs by Week 14, according to the Broadcasting Audiences Research Council.

Actress Renuka Shahane reasoned: “There are so many shows that continue in our minds even after so many years.” Television actor Varun Badola, whose show Mere Dad Ki Dulhan had to suspend production, explained that the shows are being watched by those who were part of the audience section that saw them during their first editions. “If Ramayan can get such great TRP even after so many years, something must have been good then. The fact is, if you have created good content, it will never go to waste. These shows have definitely survived the test of time, “he said.

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Daily Salaried Entertainment Industry Workers Affected

Perhaps the most affected are the daily wage earners in the film industry. Rakesh Dubey, a local boy for the past 30 years, said that 15 days of work earn him around Rs 20,000 each month. “Now, due to the closure, we are trapped at home. I don’t know how we are going to manage it. I have a family of three children and a wife. Any small savings I have made are rapidly decreasing. ”

According to Badola, daily betting will have a big impact if work doesn’t resume soon. “But given the situation, how will you convince people to come on set? Much has to change in terms of the type of environment in which we work. Look at other countries, there must be an adequate system, not like the way we are in the television business here. ”

The Association of Film and TV Artists (CINTAA) recently called on Bollywood A-listers to make donations and help daily salaried workers. Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Vidya Balan were among those who came forward to provide funds and rations.

But the question that arises is how far producers will go to ensure a safe work environment for their cast and crew. “Films must be completed, and once everything resumes, new security guidelines must be strictly followed. Between 100 and 200 people work on set. It is a labor intensive industry, so we must guarantee hygienic conditions, “said analyst Girish Johar, underlining how it will be an uphill task.

Impact on other film industries.

In the regional film industries, analysts have yet to put a number on losses. But everyone knows that the numbers will be huge and the impact will last at least a year. Filmmaker and distributor Madhura Sreedhar Reddy said the Telugu film was expected to gross around Rs 400 million this summer. “Now all the estimates are gone. After closing, the highest-priced movies are expected to do business with a 25 percent loss even before release. And there will be no premiere in low-budget movie theaters for a long time. “

Damu Kanuri, producer and vice president of Active Telugu Films Producers Guild, added that the real challenge will be to bring people to movie theaters. “Summer is a great season for Telugu movies with at least three major releases. Only if each movie does well at the box office, the cumulative total of all movies would be around Rs 350 million. If they fail to attract the public, then there will be no large numbers. “

Also read | All South Indian movies, events and TV shows affected by the coronavirus outbreak

Telugu producer SKN said a 1,000-seat theater is looking at a monthly loss of Rs 10 lakh due to the closure. And you’re also not sure if streaming platforms are a viable option. “I’m not sure if OTT platforms are willing to buy movies before they are released in theaters. Because we may not know which movie will work and which movie won’t. And OTTs mainly prefer buying successful movies, “he said.

In Chennai, too, the situation is more or less the same. Tamil film distributor Tirupur Subramaniam said the film industry is expected to be the last to reopen. “We are paying our staff full wages and cleaning our theaters frequently. We have also asked the government for support. I think there will be a drastic change in the way the Tamil film industry does business after this shutdown. “

Yeshas Nag, Bengaluru-based film distributor, agrees that due to the pandemic there will be a lingering fear of venturing. Also, since people have been receiving partial or no income, spending on entertainment will become secondary.

“There will be complete chaos. There was no longer any understanding among the producers here when releasing the movies. I think that without proper planning, the producers of Karnataka will rush to release movies. I’ve been talking to some producers who told me they’ll release the movie as soon as the shutdown ends, “Nag said.

OTT gains prominence

If there has been a beneficiary of the blockade, it would be OTT streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. According to a KPMG report, there has been a “secular increase in OTT consumption in duration, and across all demographics and devices” with a clear that “OTT players with a large legacy library” have an advantage. In 2019, the industry had revenue of Rs 173 billion in India according to the report.

To keep up with demand, big players like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix switched to HD standard definition to reduce the burden on bandwidth. Also, with the launch of Disney + Hotstar, the public had many options. Viewers reveled in web shows like Special Ops, Panchayat, Marzi, Four More Shots Please Season 2, and Hasmukh.

A frame from Four More Shots Please Season 2.

The KPMG report said that “habit formation could result in normal and accelerated new growth in consumption and monetization” for the platforms. Pahwa agreed that people will prefer OTT even after the blockade ends. According to her, the public has become accustomed to watching content from the comfort of their homes. He even suggested releasing impending low-budget movies online. “Although I don’t see a profit for at least a year, but currently, if we can recover at least the cost of production, that’s more than enough,” said the actor, whose directorial debut, Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, is awaiting his launching.

What happens to the main films that could not be released during the blockade?

Pahwa is among those concerned with the accumulation of pitches. Given that the box office schedule is going to change and there are no announcements about new release dates, low-budget movies are likely to suffer, and big movies crash almost every Friday. Thappad director Anubhav Sinha said: “The opening of the films will have to be phased out: limited shows or limited ticket sales per show or the like. Obviously in the beginning there will be a problem launching bigger movies. We need to wait and see what happens during these early selective relaxations. “
Uri director Aditya Dhar, who is currently writing his next film titled The Immortal Ashwatthama, said “tent movies with a larger canvas will have a much better chance of bringing audiences to the theater.” He said that with the public getting used to watching digital content at home, “we have to give them something extraordinary, brilliant, and something they can only experience in a theater.” He said that smaller films will now move more towards digital platforms.

Aditya Dhar is writing her next movie titled The Immortal Ashwatthama. (Photo: Aditya Dhar / Instagram)

However, moving movies directly to digital is easier said than done. Analyst Johar explained: “India is a very traditional entertainment market. So for us, releasing a movie in the theater and getting box office validation is very important. And that is lacking on OTT platforms. “Then he is convinced that the OTT platform will not be able to pay for a Rs 100 million film like Sooryavanshi or 83 or Radhe.” They can buy a Rs 5 crore film. But how are they going? to monetize a movie crore Rs 100?

So big movies will still need big theatrical releases. In India, a significant portion of the box office comes from the country’s top six and six-meter cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and others, which are currently on the hotspot list. Now the challenge remains whether the government will open these cities, including public places like shopping malls and movie theaters, once the shutdown ends. “Once the fear factor is over and people start going out to watch movies, there will be a lot of pent-up demand, and the business will be running at full capacity. But it will take time, ”added Johar.

How are theaters prepared for movie premieres?

Alok Tandon, CEO of INOX Leisure Ltd, said they will have to think differently to ensure social distancing once the cinemas resume services. Cross seat allocation is a measure. Another measure may be to program the programs in such a way that the entrances, intermediates, and exits of two programs do not occur simultaneously, “he said, adding that this will also help ensure that food counters, exit lobbies, and restrooms not received. too crowded. “We will implement improved hygiene protocols, non-invasive temperature controls and hand sanitizers. Furthermore, the deep cleaning and disinfection processes will continue to be intense. ”

Ashish Saksena, COO of Cinemas at BookMyShow underlined a new normality taking into account social distancing and sanitation. “The health and safety of everyone, from the audience to the partners, the production houses and the enforcement agencies, will be paramount.”

However, director Aditya Dhar is optimistic: “Considering that humans are inherently social animals, they will eventually return,” he said.

What arrangements do the film crews expect?

Taapsee Pannu, who would start working on his upcoming films Shabaash Mithu, Rashmi Rocket, and Looop Lapeta, said everyone will have to adjust a bit until things get smoother. “The number of people on a set will decrease for some time and the health precautions on a set will increase.”

Stylist Amandeep Kaur is ready to adapt to new ways of life. “Events will be the most affected, but since the world is already witnessing, these will change to a virtual space.” Photographer Tejinder Singh suggested that a security adviser could become a norm for production houses.

What changes will the filmmakers bring?

Aditya Dhar highlights the silver side of something as dark as the pandemic block. “We hope there will be some kind of correction, not only in terms of content, but also in economic terms of the film,” he said, adding that everyone will have to change budgets. “Just like if a list A artist is charging a lower fee, the team member will also have to pay a lower fee to make sure all the energy and effort goes into making the film rather than winning. from a movie”. He said that as a result the film will become the most important component. “The quality of the films will only improve, and we may be able to create global content.”

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