Crossed over? Are Small-budget Films Reflecting the New Face of Bollywood

Independent cinema is gaining ground in India, where Bollywood's lavish, larger-than-life music- and-dance interlude films have held sway for so long. India's urban nouveau riche are looking for more sophisticated screen entertainment to engage with, reflecting real lives, such as their own. India's independent filmmakers are beginning to provide for this market and without lavish budgets are taking new marketing paths to reach their audience, as this report from Maghana Biwalker reveals....

Take a walk through any neighbourhood restro-bar in India, and you are likely to hear snippets of conversation that include the words  Being Cyrus or  Mixed Doubles or 15, Park Avenue. Don’t be suprised if you catch a similar conversation on any public transport or even at the airport.

The independent cinema, or boutique films made in English with an Indian sub-context, seems to be the buzzword for anyone who follows English cinema. As Raman Macker, producer, says, “The Indian urban audiences, who are exposed to world-class media, are ready to experiment with cinema that deals with stories close to real life or even subjects like dark comedy.”

In the last three months, movies like 15, Park Avenue, Mixed Doubles and Being Cyrus have been doing the rounds of multiplexes.

The topics dealt with in these movies range from schizophrenic patients to boredom in new urban marriages to the effects of trusting a stranger. This, the producers say, can happen to almost everyone, and that is what differentiates the boutique films from larger-than-life Bollywood cinema.

The exhibitors say that the audience seems to have accepted the new palette of cinema — what with an occupancy of nearly 45-50 per cent. This claim is justified by the box-office earnings. For instance, the collections for Being Cyrus on the first weekend of the release was close to 50 per cent of the total collections, while for 15, Park Avenue and Mixed Doubles it was 43 per cent and 48 per cent respectively.

Producers of Being Cyrus, Mixed Doubles and 15, Park Avenue point out that these films are made for a typical audience — English-speaking, Indian, urban, falling in the age bracket of 18 to 45 years, who are intelligent and follow international cinema.

Munish Purii CEO of Times Infotainment says, “This is a new dimension of cinema called the plexi-plus.” Plexi-plus, as Purii explains, is a kind of cinema that moves beyond the single-plus theatre but has enough potential to create hype at the box-office.

Bhumika Tewari, programming, Fun Republic says, “The buzz for such films is high during the first three weeks of the release.” But filmmakers are not sitting pretty. They are playing every card in the pack to create pre-release, release and post-release hype.

Sunil Doshi, producer, says, “It is important to create curiosity for movies that deal with different subjects. Thus, the trick lies in using limited resources effectively to generate the much needed interest at the box office.”

The boutique films made for a niche audience usually lack the marketing budget of a big blockbuster Bollywood film. For instance, movies like Rang De Basanti or Bunty Aur Babli had a marketing budget close to $1.5-1.7m, while the entire budget for movies like Being Cyrus and Mixed Doubles was $800,000 and $350,000 respectively.

Thus, with this kind of stringent budget, marketing resources too had to take a backseat. The marketing budget for Being Cyrus was close to $135,000, while for Mixed Doubles it was around $75,000.

Prabhat Choudhary, senior manager, Spice Communication, says, “When the scale of a film is this small, marketing has to move away from the usual paid activities like advertising and events.”

Thus, for Mixed Doubles, Spice conducted a market survey in Mumbai and Delhi with a sample size of 200 couples. The survey focused on aspects of marriage and other issues that were reflected in the movie.

The findings of the research were then divulged through press releases and articles. Sticking to the innovative approach, the producers of Mixed Doubles approached the BPO audience through direct mailers and conducted discussions on issues related to modern couple marriages.

Thus, the result of the marketing efforts was reflected in the box-office earnings, which are over $35m. Further, to keep the buzz alive, the marketers for the film are using the SMS and e-mail route.

Purii says, “Along with marketing, what really helps to create interest is the catchphrase and the name of the movie along with a strong script.”

That explains why Being Cyrus had to go through nearly 35 drafts before finalising the script. Further, the rough-cut of the movie was screened in the UK, where the film fraternity gave their feedback, which was used to improvise the final edit done by Jon Harris of Snatch fame.

To ensure that they ride the success wave in India, producers of Being Cyrus released the movie at various international film festivals in New York, France and Israel.

Taran Adarsh, trade analyst, says, “Taking a film to international film festivals does help create hype and interest, but this does not necessarily mean that it will do well at the box office.”

Therefore, Being Cyrus was also promoted in India through various cross-promotional offers at retail outlets like Shoppers’ Stop and Crossword.

Further, the producers ensured that they exploited interactive medium like radio and Internet, where audiences could post their views on the film.

Purii says, “The posters and catchphrase of Being Cyrus at various locations gave an idea to the audience of what they could expect, and that it was not a regular Saif starrer.”

So far, all the efforts are justified, say the producers. The movie has garnered gross earnings close to $35m in the first three days after release.

Adarsh points out, “The Indian market is clearly opening to a different genre of films. The reasons could range from easy accessibility to films due to the multiplex culture to growing maturity in terms of accepting a new sect of films.”

Industry analysts say that it is now up to the producers to judge whether to use this platform as a springboard or lie low, and treat it as just another trend.