Outlook – June 29, 2019

tier 2 while others, which include Surya’s brother
Karthi, will get only 50 per cent in all centres.
“It’s a proposal mooted by theatre owners and
we hope producers and distributors would agree,
as films have become less profitable due to high
production costs, of which the hero’s fees form
the bulk. Not only do heroes refuse to compro­
mise on salaries, they also demand full payment
upfront, which is unfair. Even in Telugu cinema,
where heroes have a bigger star value and have
devoted fans, they only take a ten per cent adva­
nce and final settlement is done after the movie’s
release,” points out Tiruppur Subra maniam,
who heads the exhibitors’ association.
Subramaniam feels that unless some sort of
rating system kicks in Tamil heroes will inhabit
a fantasy that their films command a huge audi­
ence and are box office hits. Barring the top three,
films of others have a shelf life of just two weeks
at theatres, he adds. Even the great Rajnikant
could taste success only with Petta after a string
of flops like Kaala, Lingaa and an average per­
former like Kabaali. Still, his films continue to
take a strong opening and he is shooting his next
in spite of his impending entry into politics.
The other top two actors, Vijay and Ajith, have
also rebounded strongly after flops, thanks to
their huge fan following across the globe.
Producers are willing to plough money into films
starring the top three, as they feel confident of
reaping bountiful returns over four weeks. In
contrast, most other films fold up after just two
weeks in the cinemas. For example, Rajni’s
Petta and Ajith’s Viswaasam, which were rel­

eased during Pongal in January, had house­full

shows for almost two months in spite of rubbing

shoulders with each other in multiplexes and

multiscreen theatres.

But film producer S.R. Prabhu is doubtful if the

proposed arrangement would work out since

dealings between stars and producers are also

based on lasting relations. “We have many stars

who are comfortable with certain producers and

the latter may impose such conditions of tier 1 or

tier 2 as that could affect their long­term ties

with the actors. Also, what prevents a producer

from breaking the system by promising a tier 2

star a salary equivalent to a tier 1 star?” he asked.

As long as the Tamil film industry is based more

on the hero’s star value than the film’s content it

would be difficult to put in place such a rational­

ising system, says trade analyst Sreeddhar Pillai.

“Even though Mohanlal’s Lucifer (Malayalam)

was a mass hero film, he allowed the director to

weave the film around a strong story. Ultimately,

even mass hero films would have to fall back on

content as audience taste is changing,” he says.

P

RODUCERS also apprehend that a rigidly

employed tier system may serve to discourage

small film­mak ers with good storylines from

find ing the a tres. Similarly, heroine­centric

films may not find many takers. “It would also be

unfair to heroes like Vijay Sethupathy who, in spite

of his stardom, continues to support small films

with good content by promising directors, charging

less or even no salary,” points out a director. On his

part, Sethupathy, who probably had the highest

number of hits in the last two years, has promised

that whatever the system he would continue to

back young directors with promising content.

But theatre owners also feel that with over 200

Tamil films jostling for theatre space in a year,

leading to very short shelf lives in theatres, the

new tier system would discourage fly­by­night

operators from producing a quickie just to cash

in on a hero’s star value. “Many small producers

disappear after one film and financiers are forced

to search them to collect their dues. A rating

system would bring in some transparency on

how much a movie collects and how a star gets

paid and would turn away those looking for a fast

buck,” says Subramaniam.

Unlike in Bollywood, Tamil heroes are wary of

entering into a profit­sharing agreement with

producers after a few of them got short­changed.

“If the producer is honest the stars would be willing

to co­operate, but that tribe of producers is fast

disappearing,” observes film writer Bismi. He feels

that the only way Tamil cinema can extricate itself

out of the current, high­value mire is through a

culture of backing good content, which would nat­

urally prompt stars to plump for stories rather than

a reaffirmation, in cash, of their own stardom. O

FROM THE

PEOPLE Surya in

NGK, a political

drama that flopped

A distributor

feels without

a rating

system, Tamil

heroes will

continue to

live in a

fantasy that

all their

films are

massive hits.

1 July 2019 OUTLOOK 55