AJIT ANDHARE, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, tells D Kaushik how studios are redefining content in the film industry
Those days are passé when studios backed films keeping in mind the revenue they would be earning in return. Over the years studios have diversified their role and they are playing a definitive role in promoting good stories. “We are now producers and makers. Studio as a dealmaker is a thing of past. We are essentially a content maker looking to partner with correct talent and build a project organically. We are involved at every stage of game. Films is not a business of trading, it is a business of creating. You cannot participate in it with the mindset of a trader, that is a recipe of a disaster,” said Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, a studio that has believed that script is the king. Ajit is proud of the fact that be it Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Queen or Madras Café, most of their films are unconventional stories paving way for new kind of cinema in Bollywood.
“We are headed in the direction of good cinema. Good cinema has been there but the change that is coming now is that good cinema is also successful now. Films like Queen, Kahaani or Madras Café have been successful and that is a positive trend for the industry. A film is no more banking on star power. I think studios have contributed in getting ‘new Bollywood’, which is all about good stories and not formulas, into the mainstream and that has allowed different kind of stories to be told by directors. look at a film like Madras Café, it has a different grammar. A film like that has never been seen in the mainstream Indian cinema but the fact that Shoojit Sircar could it and the film made an impact, it reflects a healthy trend. If studios won’t promote such stories, they will never be told. Traditional filmmakers always backed a formula, studios are opening up new vistas and finding new territories where new talent, stories can be given an opportunity and that’s why we see new kind of cinema that we see today,” said Ajit.
Besides redefining the content in our industry, studios are also contributing majorly in giving young talent an opportunity. Ajit shared, “I think the only way to be successful today is by taking risks on talent and content. We are working with a lot of fresh talent. Hopefully we will create new breed of directors besides the ones working with us. The future in cinema is more collaborative and organic. By organic I mean that studios will do their own production. So you will see that right from the scripting to syndication stage, we will be presenting every single step of the chain. We are already doing worldwide syndication, we do the distribution, marketing and co-productions. Going forward we would like to do more of production because if you can keep check at the cost, you can make business much more sensible. The problem is if you are not able to manage cost then it is a tough task to recover cost. Studios will bring a lot of discipline that will unleash and support creativity and will allow different areas to be explored.”