So, folks, we are doing producers round table after excited to have all of you here. Thank you. Thank you for making the time. You know, the famous Nobody knows anything. William Gold Mints The start about showbiz, right? I see like through this pandemic and we're not through it yet. That has really become really, genuinely Nobody knows anything. All bets are off and we have gathered here to still make sense of the present and try and little bit tell the future. So if you can tell me in one word what the last 18 months have been like for you Insightful, Nice chaos from a days Hard work complicated. Yeah, that about sums it up. But my sense is that efficient. This year I feel like Hindi cinema is really languished. You know, I what Malayalam cinema has done in terms of storytelling I see the kind of box office Tamil and Telugu cinema has managed throw pandemic with films like Muster Raja t at Nala and we haven't had even a little of why do you all think that it's what has happened? Could have something do with Maharashtra having a police strict lock down for the quality of the fence Are you mean in terms of that a storey to preserving? That I who think was planned because of the pandemic was January. The quality of certain films that we saw that perhaps went straight to that released with very limited audience is theatrically. Sometimes I feel, um and and saying this with a lot of seriousness And no, just that perhaps Indian cinema really got saved and salvaged for this year 20 20.5 of 2021 because they were certain films that we're just not up to speed. You know, they were just not up to the mark and they were bigger films. They were massive motion picture movie stars. They had to go to digital because of various reasons. But I I think one was the quality suddenly took an It's on 2019. Was that that a year, you know, we had some really good pieces of of Hindi cinema 2020 began with Tan Aji and have Chapel, which actually began with with a lot of promise and then the pandemic. It as in March and subsequently every film that really was direct to or didn't make it at all wasn't really up to mark. That's one is the quality suddenly suffered? And I and I must belief that in this digital era where writing is of such prominence because digitally rise predominantly writers, you know, it's a writer's medium, and I believe that those writers are doing their work in cinema as well. I think some of them the concept of commercial, the concept of what we know as Mars commercial mainstream there has been evolving, and, I think drastically changing anything much past them were accounting for. And we have to reinvent that space because when we say Oh, it's a masala film, it's a master Morris, um, we just to it because apparently there is a mass section that will love it. I think we're second guessing people who actually have moved on, and they moved on and some of us are still stuck there. We still believe that this item song will help track opening. We still believe that that movie star presence will actually override a screen plane loophole. We're still believing a north of all this been given to me. I spoke to the Producers Guild 2020 are there was 80% loss of revenue harm enders and Lowered box office India said 21. We should have look title E at net of air and a half 1000 forwards will look at 1500 crores. I understand that produces have made money because there are streaming platforms. But distributors exhibitors obviously haven't given this scenario. Apparently active prices are still going out. Salaries are still going. Oh, I have so much disabled every year on your producers round people. I see the same thing. I am so fed up. But how I want to tell you I have seen actors price rise through the worst period of cinema for no reason. There was an X amount. Three months later, it is here. Three multiple. They're not heavy release and their last release was a stay Lya. Their films have not taken off, and yet they're just going out because they are riding on the digital money. They they're management's or whatever. Tell them that music Sana, your recovery this But who's making these charts? Who are we understand? They're gone beyond the like, and we all have to just stuck it up and work with them because on our people on verticals involved. There is an satellite. There is a digital then his music visa on three verticals that you said when you do your mathematics and you would take certain actors were certain recovery. You can make your storeys the moment you go completely. Roy knew your cut on the quality cut on the way you make films under sure a big filmmaker like yourself? No, but have you can Thing is also the disparity of above the line and below the line. I find it offensive your technical crew and it's offensive. You cannot make a good film without technicians. The artist, they not just technical group. You cannot. And the disparity is tha. I think that you you like people have to collectively decide. And as rising you all are the biggest will make us currently How would you not be able to district the elation? One field where you can come The US so defendant have film a know what we have are writing once his a half in Greenland. Then an actor says Yes. Then you know that for that will make you have to stretch because that the Ciara filmmaker is working So you will pay that money knowing a recovery may hold tracker. But it's not fair because you make nothing. They can immediately union 25 30 35. These are obviously with and nine times I you want to show that report card to him? This is Hello. This is what you opened to. This is what your film did. But no, all of you are now making statement shows right now. A couple of weeks ago, Michael Moore any Chaudhry did a very in depth look at this landscape, the streaming landscape specially post stander. And what she found was very, really dispirited. You know that that so many writers, of course, speaking without giving names because you can give names anymore are talked about how afraid platforms are, how afraid makers are of Anja saying that everyone just wants to make safe subjects. You can't actually talk about anything that in any way can be problematic. And apparently, if it's set in the South, it's easier to get it through. But if it is this, anything in the Hindi belt, it's a know how of you dealing with this because at one time it was great, sort of brave new world where all of us could watch anything, do anything, has storeys that have never been told before. What happens now? I think you get more subversive. Let's put it that way on a level. And I I think people need to understand that it's not just filmmakers that are being censored. You are being censored, You're an audience, and you're being told what you can and cannot watch. You must understand that all of us actively. And I am sure when I talk about all of us we have an active legal department now that never existed five years, we never had a legal department. We have a qualified legal department. All are we're doing is fighting fires. Now, what relief does is that while you can have anyone silent fire when the media gives so much time and space to that particular filed against you, then you're combating that. And your energies are being spent doing just that. And you know, there are certain news channels that something has been some like some poor Ronnie hush money with Bollywood is coming out. You know what it is? Where is it? Come out for fire. They calling us like we're some of anywhere, Like some enemies of this land that I disc. Um, unity controlling this. What are we doing? We're only wanting to entertain people and doing it in the best possible way. I mean, likely try was talking to Now seven people come to my house a call ita, Bollywood, Covic, bass where seven people on her terrorist. How is that a coup? Enter a lead channel. Still reporting this. And I thought we fought this. You know, one in this, that this state this week, all the current climate censorship and all of that. It's always been the night. So obviously, at this point in time, we received a version of it start to say it was in there in the eighties. It was in the seventies and I just saw a photograph areas for wealth of the entire industry with Mrs Gandhi in 1975. A couple of months later, she announced emergency night. So I was curious, as stranded to some research as to what it the great liberal minds of that time have to say about the emergency. Like, what was for a why what was people talking in doing and heavy think was Brazil. I couldn't find it very much. What did everyone have to say about it? Two years later was called off. Elections were held like moved on through the police. This has happened, so they're seen time and place for everything. We are going through a certain time in place. But as she said that art is required to be subversive, art is no. Art comes out at that times. You gotta find ways to say things when you're told not to say them. And that's what great artist in any case and in any country in any culture. Hopefully I and I think that is what is happening with this hearing's water. Doing it also have spoken to Deepika last can. She was talking about how we really need to look at better working conditions are better food for crew. You know there was the accident on the set of lust in New Mexico in square, Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed the dope, and we did an interview with Priya safe the here, and she said that routinely lives arrest on asset. It's not even like a thing that we all think about. It's just done. How do we speak with this? A little. How do we address these things? Because this is real. This is everyday. What we don't. People have to care. Coming. People have to care the produces beyond up. I know most of them don't. They don't have safety measures. I mean, there there are sets. I know now they still don't have fire extinguishers and said any visa basics. They don't care. You. I don't know how all the Tara files and and some studios You have people walking that there for 12, 12 hours. You can do that anywhere in the world. And they're not harnessed, you know, so people don't care. I am sorry this is happening all the time. So people have to care. They have to realise you don't have to wait for something to happen to then get into gear like we have to get into gear. Now you know this is the industry after take care of it. And that's yes. But the pandemic happened. The producers all got together. All vaccinated, everybody. So there there is that side. It's it is available. There is that thing where you feel it's hearts and you know it's our crew and our people. But this needs to extend to everyday working conditions because once you're pressured, forget and you can't forget, you know and the wages. And it's not even like the above the line to slash the You just need a little bear of a balance. You need to balance it. It's just it's vulgar. It's absolutely vulgar. News started. A foundation is back with this view to kind of address the inequity basically for the industry. It's something that I know my father really wanted to do, which is why I named it after him. I come from a school where my father cared. You know, he has to say, That doesn't matter of your film is a flopper hit. But if your crew is unhappy, it's already a disaster. So I mean, he care. I mean, in new mobile storeys. Nikki will tell you, you know, So he has her up from her that, like, just packed, like, literally like, strangely, I mean, just the other day, and it was one of the reasons why I even started. The foundation was like Vicky's dad, you know, told me Sanji are how he got injured on the sets of Agni packs the original Agni. And he says the next thing and use that your father caught hold of taking him to a hospital. Stay there. Tilly was okay. Flew him back to Mumbai. Was we wants, you know, and I don't think I can measure up. It's It's tough to measure up to a man like that, but the process there. I have gone on two sets for these Dan shows and off of Children, and they've been selling for 2020 hours in some missing. No toilets, nothing meeting or the auto play to the norming wash. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. We have to ask and we can produce. Um, it will be constantly tell the Do something about it, do something about 20 unions that were relieved with. And actually this is not what they says is one is about carrying and Tuesday squad easily done in all other industries. You know, the industry effort, as they call it, is much better organised. You know, as in all the different stakeholders work better together. They lobby together the creator industry. No, this industry, you know, unfortunately, has always been very, you know, sorrow unique, scattered, very independent minded. But it can be done. I mean, if you look at all the players from the and all the producers and everyone in it, there's a lot of money and a fraction of that money can take care of. You know, insurance is safety. It leads this. Who should be with with Roy Kapoor, who's been an excellent president? I think nothin. And I think he has been quite a true point. I hope he just keeps going and doesn't run away from the post because it is also lot of responsibility. But he has been fantastic and very proactive. One call and things are done in fine know for a fact that alignment and infrastructures all their intent has to come. But Gilligan is on the 150 of us. Like for instance now, when we worked with platforms on the Echo green, it's una section my I will come to me and say that Listen, they will. They shut down somebody right now in some in Punjab, so they will. You cannot have. You have to make sure so if it is going to take time to get the crew in because Everybody has temperature cheque. We have to work it out. Arundhati Roy said that pandemics worked like portals. They're basically gateways to from one world to another. What to using the next world will be like for the Hindi film industry. What is the biggest change that you see coming? Rima, we haven't heard from you in a long time. You go from well, I think that you know in some time this pandemic is going to die and theatres would only hoping Maybe I don't know if I think this. I am hoping this that theatres will open and everything will go back to normal. But in terms of you know, likely was speaking earlier. I think certain times of films will find it more difficult to have a theatrical release, and that's because of the voting is coming into play. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, because everybody gets to make what they want and to me has a film, a guide. You know, I don't care from releasing on in a theatre or it's coming out on an O. T. T platform because I am getting to tell the storey I want to tell and engage. So we have to change our view of this year. But you singles. You know, we were one of the very first few people who jumped onto the voting bandwagons, so to speak against. I never looked at it as a come down, one of the biggest change you see coming. You know, I the fact that you said portal is interesting because and what he said about Pan India and cross over, I think what has happened in the pandemic is everyone's watching content on streamers and they're watching multi lingual convict. So people and I feel that there has been a serious exchange there and we early the cinematic world has gotten smaller, so I see a lot of amazing tie up a lot of best. This awareness of other industries is awareness of other artist. There's a way, and I feel that cross pollination is going to happen a lot more. I do believe in cinemas gotta come back. Nothing is gonna change that experience. It's coming back and I am really waiting for it to be in its full glory. But what I think it happened is that even the digital world is a portal and I think that that open many doors and we're going to We're going to be all over the world. We got to be everywhere. I think I finally a lord of the actors that that had had resigned themselves to be the heroes. That's friend or brother. A water water are going to see a huge researchers and we are going to see a huge recognition. Like I mean, I am so happy from a news. I wish a refund today was alive. He would have been ruling the we would have not been. We will be fighting for dates. So I really feel that the brothers Pankaj, these these these names are now going to become houses. This is contesting. You don't know who he was in luck. Bye Spent So as as it also liberating as a as a as a maker, you don't have to really only think about those. 78 is that you have 135. I got I framed. The a tweet I got from a medal is a framed Well. He said that I will not watch our show. How could he have made Mahadev inclusive? The F word three times. I did not even know a tha a it with, but it also should understand the increases for you, you know, actually, most of what's happening now was it was happening. You know, this was the trend. This was I not. Not really Not so there was a market was going to be a massage. Finishes know Geo had already happened. They were going to get to founded million subscribers. Internet was going to explore cheapest data. Also, this thing about the pandemic being a portal and we have all passed through and come into another dimension. I am not a big fan of that kind of thinking. I think, you know, the minute thing settled down well, all going to revert to our own selfish ways. Everything back to normal but happened is that the streamers and the whole stream in business have got accelerated. That's happened. Our consumption of global content and all of that has increased. Not me mobile, even Indian content. The Amanda previously all conduct was blocked by geography and by language TV worked the stream other at least broken that used to call the TV Is your window to the world actual TV was window to your state or city or language. This is now a window to the world I think is going to be some Fung Shui that's going to happen no in functioning, basic clatter is not a good so I think in this pandemic what's going to happen is and a lot of the slaughter will be cluttered and not of loan. So it's like a lot that was, should not exist, will not exist and out a lot that should be in the forefront will come to the forefront, which is what is happening. Suddenly, everything that's created good is Dr Bang on in front, staring at you know it and what's not good. The exact opposite is happening with that. So there will be a lot of de cluttering happening, which is all good, be needed from vacuuming. And I think that's gonna happen and I believe very strongly and I'm not saying this because I am just an eternal optimist or I am trying to be poetic about times ahead. But I believe that what we call the golden era of entertainment we're working towards, we're work in progress, who beginning there this could be strong content digitally, better films being made, stronger actors, better technicians, world acknowledgement. It's all gonna happen. Up came moving his circle The on that happy note. I'm also an eternal optimist, so I don't come up a place of hope. I come from a place for death of assurance. Yes, it may take its time, but it's could happen and seeing it and seeing it happen, the evolution has already begun. Yes, you will go through some obstacles to surmount to reach there. And we needed to do that. I am not saying we needed this pandemic, but there has to be an upside to everything, indeed. Thank you so much and forming movies and shows you guys put out so looking at you.
