Kamal Haasan's DTH proposal

Actor-director Kamal Haasan and theatre owners in Tamil Nadu are locked in a tussle over the former’s proposal that his latest film ‘Viswaroopam’, all set to release next month during Pongal,be simultaneously screened on the direct to home (DTH) platform to beat the piracy threat.
If the actor pushes through with his proposal,it could usher in a revolution of sorts in Indian cinema by adding another source of revenue for producers. But theatre owners are far from thrilled as they feel their collections are bound to be affected as the audience might prefer to stay and watch the     film at home, instead of going to the theatres.
However, a few producers said Kamal’s move should not be dropped due to such fears.“More than two decades ago, when televisions entered living rooms, people said it would kill the film industry.But nothing of that sort happened, and it only increased the revenues for producers. We can’t pre-judge an idea. We should encourage new revenue streams. All segments of the film industry should come together and test this idea with two or three big films.If it does not affect any stakeholder, we could then go ahead with simultaneous releases on DTH,”said G Dhananjayan,who heads the south business of UTV.
Theatre owners have sought the intervention of chief minister J Jayalalithaa in the matter.

A few people watching his new movie ‘Vishwaroopam’ at Rs.1,000 a show will not affect the business of theatre operators, actor Kamal Hassan said. Those interested can pay for a single viewing but will not be able to record the film, he said.
In a three-page statement in Tamil, Kamal explained why he proposed to release his multi-lingual film on direct-to-home (DTH) platforms a day ahead of its release in cinemas on January 11. Kamal, who has acted in and produced the film, had discussed the idea with various stakeholders as a measure to counter piracy.
His proposal has been criticised by theatre owners, who fear it would affect their business. Some of them have even threatened to boycott the film’s release. Kamal said releasing movies over DTH is a being criticised because it is new trend in the cinema industry. Allaying fears of losses, he said DTH releases will only strengthen business.
“Less than 3% of the population in Tamil Nadu have access to DTH. Experts forecast that less than 1.5% of this figure are likely to buy the movie.It costs 10 times more than the price of a movie ticket,” he said. On the other hand, very little has been done to stop pirated DVDs that cause more loss to the industry. “Do people stop going to Tirupati because they have the Lord’s calendar at home? Or do people stop going to hotels because they have good food at home?” he asked.