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MUMBAI: It's a big movie from the biggest banner in the country
- Yash Raj. And while the latest Aamir Khan blockbuster Fanaa
is roiled in one controversy after another, on the small screen,
it is all going smoothly. Or so the studio's representatives aver.
Yash Raj Films VP Music and Home Entertainment Vijay Kumar rubbishes
reports which appeared in certain sections of the media that the studio
has demanded money from television channels to telecast Fanaa
promos and songs. "For Fanaa, we have associated with
all the channels, including Star World, HBO and ETC Music. The rumours
that Yash Raj has locked horns with the music channels over telecast
rights of these music videos are absolutely baseless. We have never
demanded money for telecasting Fanaa promos and songs, and
in fact, it is Yash Raj who has to pay these channels money for airing
these clips."
 When
contacted by indiantelevision.com, Zee Telefilms however remained
noncommittal. "No comments on the official position," reads
an SMS sent by spokesperson Ashish Kaul. Channel [V] head honcho Amar
K Deb said that the channel had some spots of Fanaa. A source
close to B4U also confirmed that the channel was running Fanaa
promos and song clips.
Kumar explains that the production house has in fact employed a
certain promotional strategy which involves all the channels. "Yash
Raj follows a certain promotional strategy when it comes to television.
We shift our promos and music videos from one channel to another
from time to time and this shift is strategically designed to get
the maximum coverage. We are telecasting our 60 second song and
promo clips on all the channels."
On Yash Raj's exclusive tie up with MTV and Sony, Kumar adds, "It
is true that we have exclusive tie-ups with Sony and MTV for programming
and marketing activities. But that has nothing to do with providing
the Fanaa content to other channels. Our association with these
channels are on and there is no disagreement between Yash Raj and
the channels over payment issue."
Agrees MTV VP creative content Ashish Patil, "What MTV has
with Yash Raj Films on Fanaa is an exclusive marketing tie-up.
MTV holds the tradition of being a key player in the TV promotions
of all the Yash Raj Films and this continues with Fanaa also. The
Fanaa music was released on MTV and we had the exclusive
rights to telecast these songs for about five to seven days post
the music release. Sony is our programming partner and the channel
has lined up various wrap around programmes on the movie."
Patil adds that, MTV had lined up a series of promotional activities
for Fanaa on the channel. "Tomorrow we will be telecasting
an Aamir-Kajol show Fanaa for You, which will have
the lead stars of Fanaa interviewing each other. Other innovations
we have lined up include creating special MTV logos based on the
Fanaa format," he says.
The Fanaa for You show is in fact shared between Sony Entertainment
Television and MTV. "In a unique exercise of media roadblock,
Aamir and Kajol's candid conversation Fanaa for You will
be shown on 25 May at 8 pm. The stars will have freewheeling chat
about themselves and their experience of working together for the
much talked about movie Fanaa," states a Sony release.
Interestingly, even NDTV has organised a special show with the
two stars that airs on the sister channels NDTV India and NDTV 24x7
Thursday night at 8 pm and 8:30 pm respectively. It is worth noting
that when Yash Raj released their blockbuster Bunty aur Babli
last year, the film's two leads Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee
had appeared on the channel as news readers in the pre-release "stunt".
Additionally, the Times Group's FM network Radio Mirchi is also
a part of Thursday's 8 pm "simulcast" of the Fanaa
preview. And the Net has not been left out either. The film's
preview will be web streamed on both Yahoo! and MSN.
FANAA FACES TOTAL GUJARAT BLACKOUT, MULTIPLEX NO SHOW
IN REST OF COUNTRY
The big screen story however is entirely different. "Cinema
Paradiso" it most certainly is not for the most powerful production
house in the country as it squares up in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation
with the top multiplex chains all over India.
That the stakes are enormously high is a given. And who blinks first
will determine whether the status quo is maintained in the producer
distributor dynamic or the rules are rewritten in favour of big
film banners like Yash Raj.
Fanaa, which also marks the comeback of the much loved Kajol
to the silver screen after a long break, is not only guaranteed
(at least for the present) a politically engineered total blackout
in the western Indian state of Gujarat, but also confronts a multiplex
fadeout in the rest of the country.
The crux of the issue is on how the box office collections are
to be shared. According to the head of one multiplex chain, as per
current norms big banners get 48 per cent of the net collections
by way of distributor's share in the first week, 38 per cent in
the second week and 30 per cent from the third week on. Yash Raj
is however demanding 60 per cent, 50 per cent, 40 per cent for the
first three weeks and 35 per cent from then on.
Though the matter was still at a stalemate at the time of filing
this report, the head of the multiplex did point out that Yash Raj
had come down a bit from its earlier stand and was ready to end
the whole controversy if the exhibitors were willing to accept a
55:45 per cent revenue share in the first week.
Fanaa director Kunal Kohli remains confident that people
will get to see the movie in multiplexes as well. "We are hopeful
of reaching a solution. Discussions are still going on. There is
scope for a positive outcome," he says.
Kohli has been quoted earlier in media reports as saying: "We
believe that we bring a certain value to film and that we should
accordingly get that benefit. We have also conveyed to them that
we are asking for better terms only if the film performs well at
the box office. If it doesn't, we are willing to go with the old
terms."
If the matter is not settled though, the movie will open mainly
at all single-screen theatres across the country on 26 May.
LAUNCH OF MERCHANDISE AROUND MOVIE
According to media reports, Yash Raj is launching its merchandising
division with Fanaa. Three products related to the movie
can be purchased. The first is a reflection cup-saucer set. The
cup has a mirror finish which shows the reflection of Fanaa,
when placed on the saucer. The second is a ceramic mug that has
the autographed pictures of Aamir Khan and Kajol and the third is
the chili pendant that Aamir Khan sports in the film.
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