Producer-director Babu Ganesh recently announced his decision to release VCDs of Pulse the day the film releases in theatres. Featuring Mandira, Pulse will also be shown on cable television networks in Tamil Nadu the same day at Rs 1,000 per cable operator.
Together, the production team expects to earn over Rs 30 million from the exercise more than box-office collections these days for an average Tamil film.
Fellow producers have burnt their fingers thanks to video piracy. Even Rajnikanth's Baba could not protect itself from unlicensed VCDs released days ahead of the theatrical release.
Starved for a hit and facing dwindling resources, producers are also looking to a reduction in actors' fees.
Kamal Haasan charges Rs 5 crores for a film while Ajit and Vijay want about Rs 3.5 crores; newcomer Vikram reportedly charges Rs 1 crore per film.
Producers claim actors' fees count for nearly half the production cost. This is aggravated when films bomb at the box-office as there is no hope for a recovery on costs. Rajnikanth did famously return exhibitors' and distributors' money after Baba's poor show.
They now hope Babu Ganesh's experiment will succeed.