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Aditya Chopra’s demand for theaters to ‘not become digital or Dhoom 3’ is the tip of the iceberg. Pakistan’s cinema industry had barely begun to recover when the digital revolution hit it full force… are we ready?
The sun of the current year will set soon but as the dawn of the next year dawns, Pakistani cinema is going to see a new future. It will begin with the release of Dhoom 3 in Pakistan on December 20. Yashraj Films’ Aditya Chopra sent a notice to all exhibitors in India to go digital or miss out on one of the biggest films of the year, the third installment of Bollywood’s most successful franchise. It created quite a stir in India, not among the big guns who had already upgraded, but among small cinemas, single screens in the small towns and villages of the world’s largest democracy. Naturally, now that Indian films are being screened in Pakistan, this will apply here as well.
Unlike new cinemas like multiplexes which are digital, older screens get 35mm prints to play. This is done through an expensive process called telecine. So is the digital revolution taking place in the subcontinent right now just the handiwork of Aditya Chopra, son of the late and great Yash Chopra who tried his best to take Bollywood to the next level?
“They are only working according to global standards,” says Nadeem Mandviwala of Atrium Cinemas and Mandviwala Entertainment. “Yes, we got a notice to go digital this year from the Indian distributors, but the Hollywood distributors sent us the notice last year.”
Nevertheless, Pakistani theaters will lose more by not showing Dhoom 3 than by showing a Hollywood film that is not usually shown on single screens due to lack of demand. In the absence of good Pakistani films, Indian films have taken over the local market. Since 2006, more than 600 Bollywood films have been screened here, while if you count the number of Pakistani films, it would be difficult to reach the figure of 100. And the Indian film industry is transforming itself from film print to digital format. It is high in quality but cheap in post production cost. Aditya Chopra isn’t the only one sending this message — it’s changing the track of the entire industry.
Indian distributors are demanding Pakistani cinemas to convert to Digital Cinema Projector (DCP) format. “They have issued notices to us that no prints of the film will be supplied to Pakistani cinemas after December 2013. Hard drive. has replaced the negative.The price will be reduced from Rs.225,000 to Rs.7000, we have already given this message to our cinema industry.The importer of films with IMGC Global “Who is ‘they’?” we ask, and for IMGC it’s UTV with whom they do most of their business and which is also a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company in India.
So it seems the writing on the wall is clear and Aditya Chopra is using Dhoom 3 to bring home the lagging Indian (and by default Pakistani) exhibitors. The old style of 35mm cinemas will be gone after 2013, and it’s already starting to die out. The equipment that has been used in local cinemas for decades will soon become obsolete and it is time to adapt or outsource the cinemas.
“Digital cinema projectors are a revolution,” says Zuriaz Lashari, chairman of the Pakistan Exhibitors Association. “There is no need to wait for movies to be printed now. At DCP, you can download a new movie two days before it opens in theatres. Constantly changing public to keep up with the times. The result of the pressure is that now the audience has a different taste and they also know what is happening around them, so digital cinema is the need of the hour. We are requesting our cinema owners to DC Choose P Technology, Multan, Sheikhupura and Gujarat only Stations are the only ones who have not yet joined the DCP club this year because they have no other option.”
It will either be on or off. However, for many theaters this change may come too soon. Since 2000 till now Pakistan film industry is suffering from the worst decline. More than 900 cinemas across the country were demolished simply because of non-availability of films. By 2006, the number of cinemas had dwindled to just 150.
Jahanzeb Baig, former chairman of Pakistan Exhibitors Association recalls, “To save the cinemas, the government led by General Musharraf announced a policy to revive the industry with the consent of the Pakistan Exhibitors Association along with the film producers. “What?” “We were desperate at that time and it became very difficult to meet both targets. This policy gave us hope. Under this policy, Mughal Azam (colour version) was the first drop in the wasteland of Pakistani cinemas.”
“We were 30 years behind international cinema. Cinemas had run out of products, the equipment was old, audiences were coming in less numbers. In 2010, the cinema environment had changed dramatically. A new class of has emerged,” says Nadeem Mandviwala, who switched to digital with the launch of Atrium Multiplexes in 2010. He attended a conference on digital a year ago and realized that this is where Go to the world Atrium Cinemas will be the cinemas that will usher in a new style of cinema and introduce the cineplex culture in Pakistan.
Nader Latif, owner and operator of PAF Cinema in Lahore, says, “I joined the industry four years ago in a traditional way, but now the evolution of cinema technology has forced us to adapt ourselves to international standards. forced.” “Though you need Rs 7 to 10 million depending on the seat capacity to upgrade your cinema, it will cost you nothing in the end. More maintenance than the system and conventional projector.”
This new evolution is about people who are ready, willing and able to adapt. This is not about people who would be forced to put cinema closed signs outside their establishments because they were unable to convert. It is a tough call, ruthless almost when you see that Pakistani cinema is in crisis but it is the march of time and no one can stop it. English films are also a major feature of this change.
Nadeem Mandviwala says, “Hollywood films have a huge audience in big cities. These films are also a big support for the revival of new cinema. Now there are only two cinema classes left: old and new cinema. “People who don’t want to or can’t change will soon disappear because the viewer wants comfort and an attractive environment,” says Nadeem Mandviwala.
This change has sparked a new debate locally. Will this change be fruitful only for foreign films or will it also boost the local industry? There is a senior lot in Lollywood who are not yet ready to accept change. He still favors the traditional way of making and showing films.
“What do they think is the cause of the collapse of our film industry,” Zoris Lashari said, laying the blame at the door of Lollywood. Referring to Shahid Afridi’s films like Vaar, Chambeli and Main Hoon, he says, “This change is more fruitful for the local industry. Our recent films have shown their worth and proved that our good films are better than any foreigner.” It will do more business than a blockbuster film.” .
And a new crop of moviegoers. Even those from the film industry, which came to be known as Lollywood, are in for a change.
“We are against Indian films but we have to give credit for bringing back the audience to the cinemas that we have lost,” admits Shehzad Rafique, who has made films like Ishq Khuda and Salakheen. Which is a happy moment for us, even though Indian distributors are forcing our theaters to switch to DCP, I am sure we will. In the end beneficiary I also moved to digital format as it is the future of our film industry as we were out of step with technological advancement, now it is giving us an opportunity to regain our lost market.
Even Syed Noor, the legendary Pakistani filmmaker and current chairman of the Pakistan Film Producers Association, once a staunch opponent of the new wave, is coming round.
“It’s good news for us that HD is replacing the negative,” he says. “I was a firm believer in the negative format of filming but the success of recent Pakistani films has been eye-opening for all of us. Film costs have come down and exposure is now more feasible for producers. There is no doubt that DCP “The change is going to help us a lot in the coming years, even an average film will be able to cover its cost due to the growing number of theaters in the country.”
After much debate, people from both the cinema and film industries, who are often at loggerheads over issues such as screening of Indian films, agree that the new wave of digital cinema is the way forward. This is a great start. Bring on Dhoom 3!
