Hindi
PPC backstabs producers, revenue-sharing issue worsens
MUMBAI: Amid fears, the first cracks in the producers‘ unity against the multiplexes over revenue sharing terms have appeared. Percept Picture Company (PPC) has broken away from the rest of the producers and has given in to the demand of the multiplexes. But that’s not without a clause: the company has promised to release its entire line up of films for the year 2009, in lieu of the release of 8×10 Tasveer in multiplexes on 3 April.
A source at Percept avers, “In order to avoid the fate of Eros and its film Aa Dekhen Zara, which never released in multiplexes all over, PPC has signed its entire line up of films like Tasveer, Bum Bum Bole, Yeh Hausla, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and Aashayein.”
Reliable sources say Tasveer has been signed up at a revenue share of 48:52 per cent (producers/multiplexes) for the first week and 38:62 per cent for the next two weeks while all the other films have been signed up for 45:55 and 35:65 per cent revenue share terms for the first and second week respectively.
Ironically, Aa Dekhen Zara was barred from releasing in the multiplexes just two days before its release and the film was released only in single-screen theatres on 27 March. Says Eros International CEO Jyoti Deshpande, “Multiplex owners had laid down two impossible conditions before us if we intended to release our film with them. Firstly, they wanted us to enter a package deal for our forthcoming releases like Kambaqqth Ishq and Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal along with Aa Dekhen Zara. But at the same time we couldn’t go against the producers’ forum. Secondly, they also wanted us to break the strike, which we couldn’t in any case. My company will stand by the producers.”
Producers’ core committee chairperson Mukesh Bhatt preferred to remain tight-lipped despite repeated attempts to coax him. Multiplex officials too refused to comment. Trade pundits, however, inform that in a few days from now, one or two more producers may give in and sign their movies with the multiplexes.
Meanwhile, the producer lobby is a bit unnerved and angry at the turn of events but are confident that the strike will go on as scheduled with added vigour. With this the stage has been set for a rigorous confrontation between the Film and Television Producers’ Guild of India and multiplex chains in the coming days. If the tug-of-war situation on the revenue-sharing issue persists, release of films such as Shortkut, Kal Kissne Dekha, Jashn-The Music
Within and an updated version of Ghajini with additional footage is likely to be affected.
Multiplex owners are, however, tight-lipped and would like to wait and watch. Says Big Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra, “I am unwilling to share anything at this point of time.”
Inox Leisure COO Alok Tandon, however, is hopeful that their (multiplex owners’) talks with producers and distributors will definitely reach a consensus. “At this juncture I don’t even want to talk about content backup plans.”
Sharing his views whether Inox would screen IPL matches, Tandon says that all this would depend on the price at which the telecast rights would be offered. “So far no talks have been held and neither is there any information on who would hold the rights. Though we at Inox are not keen on buying the telecast rights exclusively, I don’t know about other players,” he opines.
Other multiplex owners are also waiting for the IPL to come out with more definite screening proposals while continuing with their rigid stance on the revenue-sharing issue. Says Fun Cinemas COO Vikas Kapur, “The terms for screening IPL matches at theatres are yet to be thrashed out. Organisers of the IPL have decided to float tenders for theatre-screening rights but we have no update on the same so far. Time will tell whether it will commercially be viable for us to screen the matches. However, I don’t think the rights would be exclusive to any of us players.”
When quizzed as to what was the alternative content plan in case of no new film being fed by producers after 4 April, Kapur said that the season anyways sees little content being released that eventually results in low business for multiplexes.
The final script on the revenue-share issue, however, is yet to be written. And who will write that we will soon know.
Hindi
Marico founder Harsh Mariwala’s book Harsh Realities set for film adaptation
Almighty Motion Picture taps Karan Vyas to script Marico story
MUMBAI: Almighty Motion Picture is turning its lens on India Inc., with plans to adapt Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico into a screen project. The story charts the rise of Harsh Mariwala, the chairman and founder of Marico, and is currently in early development, according to a report by Variety.
Writer Karan Vyas, known for his work on Scam 1992, Scoop and Made in India – A Titan Story, is attached to pen the screenplay. The project continues the studio’s growing interest in real-life Indian narratives that blend business with human drama.
At the heart of the story lies a defining moment in 1987, when Mariwala chose to step away from the family-run Bombay Oil Industries and strike out on his own. What followed was not just the creation of a company, but the reinvention of a legacy. Marico would go on to become a global FMCG player, with brands like Parachute, Saffola, Set Wet and Livon becoming household names, reaching nearly one in three Indians.
The source material, co-authored by Mariwala and renowned business strategist Ram Charan, offers more than a boardroom chronicle. It captures the grit behind the growth, the risks behind the rewards and the leadership lessons forged along the way.
The adaptation aims to move beyond balance sheets and brand milestones, focusing instead on the person behind the enterprise. Expect a narrative that leans into the emotional stakes of entrepreneurship, where decisions are as personal as they are professional.
Today, Marico draws about a quarter of its revenue from international markets across Asia and Africa, reflecting its steady transformation from a domestic player into a multinational force. Yet, if the makers have their way, the screen version will remind audiences that every global success story begins with a leap of faith.
With development set to begin soon, this is one business story that may just trade spreadsheets for storytelling, and profit margins for moments that linger
