Komal Nahta

So the first quarter of the year 2001 has passed without bringing cheer to the film industry.

The recent FICCI and FFI-organised FRAMES 2001 in Bombay might have painted a rosy picture of the times to come in the industry. But even that couldn't whitewash the grim box office statistics.

The picture painted is a sorry one. The Arthur Andersen report on the projected revenues of the film industry gives a dangerously exaggerated view and it would be heartbreaking for anyone who would invest in the industry after reading the report.

A total of 56 Hindi films were released in the three months ending March 31, 2001.

There was not a single hit, not even one universal success!

If Chori Chori Chupke Chupke did good business in Bombay and South, it is an average fare -- even a bit of a loser -- in some other circuits. Farz scored in North India but then, other circuits weren't as exciting. One 2 Ka 4 and Aashiq were the biggest disasters of the quarter. Kasoor, a small-budget film, brought small smiles on distributors' lips. Chhupa Rustam, a stale fare, surprised the trade with its bumper business in Bihar and UP.

Of the 56 films released, a third (19 in number) were dubbed films. But the debacle of One 2 Ka 4 is a danger signal for the industry.

With film budgets skyrocketing, it is imperative that producers and directors make films with better scripts and then publicise them effectively and wisely.

It wouldn't be incorrect to say that the makers of One 2 Ka 4 erred in their publicity. Had they publicised the film as a family entertainer -- which the film is, to some extent -- it would have opened to better houses.

Filmmakers and our stars need to become more receptive to ideas. Not showing underproduction films to objective people whose opinions matter is as disastrous as the films that are hitting the screens these days. I believe that showing films while under production can only improve them. You can't get worse. You can only get better, then!

Meanwhile, the cinema employees strike in West Bengal has completed a fortnight. And there is no solution still in sight. The striking employees, owing allegiance to the Bengal Motion Pictures Employees Union (BMPEU), are demanding a hike in wages.

Reports have filtered in that some cinema employees are not observing the strike. And some others have withdrawn from it. As a result, only about ten to 15 cinemas are functioning in the circuit. Some have been open all along, but only Bengali films rule the roost. So for Hindi films, it has been bad news. For example, Rahul and Censor did not open in Calcutta this week.