The 3D Party Aftermath

Back in the 1980s,when Karma and Mr India released,I installed the 70mm screen.

Written by Dipti Nagpaul D'souza

June 8, 2011 03:28 AM IST

4 min read

Avatar and the forthcoming Ra.One notwithstanding,is the 3D frenzy a passing fad in India?

Back in the 1980s,when Karma and Mr India released,I installed the 70mm screen. But the trend passed and the equipment still lies gathering dust in my backyard. So,how can I install expensive 3D equipment unless the trend really picks up? says Manoj Desai,who owns the Gaity-Galaxy cineplex in Bandra,Mumbai. Unimpressed by the hype around 3D films,the single screen owner feels that the new technology may turn out to be a fad in India. The common man does not like to wear the 3D glasses and finds the tickets for these films too expensive. 3D films may not be financially viable in the Indian market, argues Desai.

The list of forthcoming films sounds like a 3D boom. After Avatar set off the trend in 2009,a host of Indian filmmakers have announced their 3D projects over the last one year Shirish Kunder’s Joker,starring Akshay Kumar is already under production,Ram Gopal Varma’s Raksha and Warning,Abbas Mustan’s untitled film with 21st Century Productions,Shekhar Kapur’s Paani and Rohan Sippy’s next film with Abhishek Bachchan. Even Shah Rukh Khan has admitted to experimenting with the technology for his upcoming sci-fi film,Ra.One. The recent Hollywood releases Thor,Rio,Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides and Kung Fu Panda are being followed by Transformers: Dark of the Moon,The Smurfs and The Adventures of Tintin over the next few months. Kapur now says,it may not be a viable option for his film. Except Vikram Bhatt,whose film Haunted did well and Kunder,most other filmmakers are quiet.

However,a chunk of the audience is not so excited about the development. The novelty value has worn off and viewers feel that the technology is being overused to make more money. Even viewers in the US are said to be unimpressed. Films like Rango prove that you do not need 3D for every film. Besides,the quality of 3D exhibition in Indian cinemas isn’t always up to the mark, complains filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

Desai seconds Kashyap as he explains that the installation of the basic technology for exhibiting 3D films costs Rs 30 lakh per projector and this is excluding taxes. And most single screen owners,whose tickets are priced under Rs 100,bank on the masses. With 3D pricing,it is not possible to recover costs,especially if two 3D films flop consecutively, he adds.

The financial viability of 3D films is also being questioned. Making a 3D film ups the cost by close to 30 per cent. 3D is good as a value addition to the movie-watching experience but it will be viable only if the 2D option is available,” an executive from a reputed film production house points out.

A section of the film industry,however,believes that 3D technology is here to stay. “The 3D experience is currently aimed at the multiplex audience,but one needs to understand that the number of multiplexes across the country is on the rise. The price of a 3D film ticket is only around 15 per cent higher than a regular film’s, argues Devang Sampat,Cheif Strategy Officer,Cinepolis,an international multiplex chain. He adds that certain genres like horror,sci-fi and action films like Joker and Ra.One will get the Indian audience interested in 3D.

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Akshay Kumar Avatar karma Manoj Desai Mr India Ram Gopal Varma Vikram Bhatt