A large section of the Hindi film believes that demonetisation has caused a huge loss to the film industry. At the same time there are some people who believe that many things have been improved by demonetisation.
The decision that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made in his address to the nation on the night of 8 November 2016 has affected every section of society, every sector and every industry.
This decision may have far-reaching consequences, but at present, there are many areas which have had a profound impact on this decision of the government. The film world is paramount in that.
Talking about the Hindi film world, there is such a big section that believes that due to demonetisation, the film industry has suffered a great loss, but there are some people who believe that many things have improved due to demonetisation.
The Hindi film industry is an industry which has the largest audience, but a large section of the audience is away from theaters due to many reasons including demonetisation and GST imposed by the government. Because of which many people have become unemployed and helpless.
Many labourers had been unemployed
Suresh Shyamlal, leader of All Indian Cine Workers Association, says, “It has been three years of demonetisation. In these three years, the work for the workers has reduced a lot. The film industry works in an unauthorized manner, here the workers get money for daily work. There are some workers who get paid after three months. 70 percent difference has come in picture as compared to situation before demonetisation, now the labourers have no work because now films and serials are not shooting so much. When the demonetisation took place, the shooting of many films stopped in the middle. The investments of the films was drowned, employment was lost from the hands of many people, which has had an impact till date.
There is a 28% entertainment tax after demonetisation, due to which 10 films were made in earlier days, but now only one is being made. The filmmaker tells us, “We can only pay less, we don’t have much money to give to you, we have to make the picture too, the hero also has to be paid and we have to pay GST also, if you guys Bring GST to 12% then something can happen.
Remuneration is getting cut
Suresh furthering his point says that the industry is in a very bad shape. Many shooting studios in Mumbai have been closed and many are on the line of closure. The workers have been forced to leave the film line to run a rickshaw or do other work. Earlier, from 2000 to 3000 workers used to get work, but now 1200 labourers get work.
Not only Junior Artists, Lightman or Cameraman or Spot Boy, everyone’s condition is bad. Earlier they used to get good money but now they are given 1500 to 2000 and they work for 16 to 17 hours. People who are old were fired from their jobs because they had to be paid more money, so now they take new people. People who used to run camera and technical work were also given 3000 earlier, but now they are also given less and if you talk about Spot Boy and other artists they are given only 300 to 400 rupees and the work doubled.
Other facilities, such as living and eating conditions have become very useless. Due to lack of work, the workers associated with the film industry are wandering from pillar to post. This industry looks more colorful from outside and is as much black and white from inside. Suresh says that Black money and dadagiri play a lot in the film line.
No one will ask whether it is Black money or White?
Demonetisation does not had any difference on the films says renowed trade analyst Vinod Mirani. Neither did it affect the producer of the film nor the audience who bought the ticket.
Even after demonetisation, there are some things like eating food in restaurants, buying vegetables and watching pictures, these can be in cash and no one will ask you whether it is Black money or White?
If Vinod Mirani is to be believed, then he says that in the film industry, everything has started happening in white but it was not so before. Earlier there used to be a cash transaction, but now since the established company has come, the work in black has stopped.
Today the producer never used to work with his own money, it used to happen in earlier times but now he works with big production company, distribution company, satellite channel, OTT platforms like amazon, netflix. Then they have a music company that also provides benefits. Nowadays, it is not only dependent on the box-office earnings, the film maker also gets good money from the rest of the platform.
My earnings grew because I didn’t increased my remuneration
Renowned executive director Manoj Desai, who owns Mumbai’s renowned theater Maratha Temple, Getty Galaxy and seven more big theaters. He says, “There was not much difference from the demonetisation that took place three years ago. It is going to be 25 years in Maratha temple theater of ‘Dil wale’ Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ‘, it is still going on today, the main reason for this is that the ticket prices were never increased by us. Even today, we only take 18 to 20 rupees. ”
“Our charges are also fine for the new film, which has been fixed keeping in mind the people living below the poverty line, middle class and upper class people.” In some theaters we have a thousand seats, in some theaters there are 250 seats and all the theaters are full. GST has come and we all have to bear it but I am happy there is no harm.
They hope that the government will definitely think about them going forward.
Movies are released in the theater but there is no profit
Deepak Kudhe is not at all convinced by Manoj Desai , Deepak Kudhe who is an IPP (Immediate Past President) of Cinema Owner and Executive Association. He said that for four months of the demonetisation, we were so upset that we felt that now single theaters would be completely closed. Gradually, we recovered but the situation has not improved even today.
He says, “After demonetisation everything started going online and we did not have much facilities for online payment. Now we have been able to go, but where 70% of online bookings take place in multiplexes and only 10% is the cash payment, the same is the opposite in single theaters, which is due to 70% of us making cash payments and 10% doing online. 10% service tax which is deducted by Paytm and Book My Show. Due to which the poor and middle class do not like to do online booking. Today, even if films are released in the theater, there is no profit. ”
Films do good business on festivals
Deepak Kudhe, while explaining his point, says, “5 to 6 movies come, which does good business.” Films run on Diwali, Eid or Christmas festivals. If seen for the whole year, there are 13 average films, 13 are below average and 13 are super bumper films. Except for the super bumpers, which remain only 5 to 6 films, the audience does not come for the rest of the year. We have to do a lot, try to woo in many ways, yet the audience does not come. ”
“Together with the Maharashtra government, we are trying to create a Developer Control Rule, in which we will discuss all these issues and some more laws have also been enacted.” For example, you cannot show a film on any platform for 2 months, be it a satellite channel, or an OTT platform. ”
Small and independent cinema is dying
Yusuf Sheikh, who is a film distributor, says, “The box office’s good earning and business are only for big films . Small production houses which are more than 100, now slowly they are dying because they are not getting buyers. Any independent filmmaker and producer is now afraid to invest money. ”
“Only 10 powerful people are running the entire film industry, they make the same films and their own films are going on, the rest is not well.” ”
There was a small industry which used to make films in the budget of 5 crores due to demonetisation and GST, it is now over. This is the reason that now those people, whether technically connected or from production, are now leaving the film and making web series. Now the filmmaker who cannot make a film is now making a web series and small cinema is now completely dying out, this is the biggest change today.