Vying for attention

The essence of cricket has changed with the T20 matches and it has shown that people are passionate about cricket and it is indeed a very different to experience it first hand. Imagine 70 thousand spectators braving the hot and humid summer in the stands and billions savouring it live on the idiot boxes for over a period of 45 days. Is the media hype and the big monies involved for real ? What about the impact it has on other business specially the film industry?

Noted producer D Suresh Babu laments the state of affairs in the industry and says the period from January this year uptil now is the by far the worst in telugu film industry. He says, “People have stopped watching telugu cinema, we don’t make the right films and when we make, it doesn’t interest the public anymore. Either we are not investing in talent or we are relying too much on experience, also there is no formal training of talent in the industry.

With all this the coverage of the media of the IPL dulls the enthusiasm of the moviegoers. People have a choice now, there is IPL, every wedding is a ten day affair, every birthday and an outing, restaurant etc…. there is so much to divert your interest from movies.” He adds that summer is the best time for the movie releases but he wouldn’t risk releasing them during the IPL matches and all the three big films Chintakayala Ravi, Ravi Teja starrer and Siddarth starrer will be out only in July, September and November.

Race in Telugu, KS Rama Rao’s Bujjigadu..Made in Chennai, NTR starrer Kantri produced by Aswani Dutt, Parugu, and Pandurangadu  are all slated for release before the completion of the League matches. Jalsa’s pre-release hype strategy worked and the first two weeks ensured good money, they might just break even says another producer adding that the story might be different if were to be released now.Director Tammareddy Baradwaj says apart from Happy Days and Krishna, none of the films have made good business. Gamyam a small budget film is the surprise hit of the year.

Actor Sharwanand who is gloating with the success says that the film made good profits here and overseas and has completed 50 days run recently and is still drawing packed crowds. IPL matches won’t make much of a difference if Gamyam were to be released now, it is the stuff, the content that decides the fate of the film. Moreover  excessive cricket kills, and also domestic cricket doesn’t interest all as much as one day between India-Pak or India-Australia.”…

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/04/24/stories/2008042450030100.htm