India’s Most Wanted Numbers

These directories aim to provide up-to-date information on the film industry. However,according to Malhotra,a close study offers much more than that. Film India,published in alternating sizes every six months — the smaller edition in May and bigger edition in November — clearly states the migratory patterns which are prevalent in Bollywood today. Malhotra states,“Every six months about 40-50 per cent of India’s film personalities change their numbers.” So,every six months,a team of 15 from Malhotra’s Bandra office calls every number in the phone directory to check if it is still functional. “If it isn’t operational then we try to source it through people who have worked with them. Addresses are physically verified by our team members so that there is no scope for any discrepancy,” he confirms.

Film directories certainly have become more organised today with everything done according to procedure. Ojha points out that unlike the yesteryears when they had to hunt down contacts,now people volunteer to give their updated contacts. “No one was doing this 34 years ago. Now,actors,technicians,musicians and others associated with the film industry from all over the country share their details with us. This is also indicative of the prominence that we have achieved since inception,” says Ojha.

A niche product,such directories are not always economically viable. This is evident through the fact that not many film directories have stood the test of time. The hardest part,however,insists Malhotra,is getting the venture going. “Film

India didn’t sell many copies in the first two years after it was started by my father. But by the third,the directory had become popular and everyone in the industry wanted to lay their hands on it. Today,most people are used to it,” he recollects.

While both these directories have over 25,000 contacts today,the first edition of the Screen directory had just 25 pages and cost seven rupees. The current edition that was launched this year during the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) has over 900 pages and costs Rs 1,500. Film India started out as a 60-page directory. Today,the smaller copy has around 500 pages and is priced at Rs 500 and the bigger one with 800 plus pages,that includes information on the regional film industries,is priced at Rs 1,000.

One of the biggest worries for both Ojha and Malhotra is to ensure that the directories,with contact details of popular film personalities,should not fall into wrong hands. Ojha recollects incidents from the past when middlemen would buy these directories and try to swindle honest people by promising an introduction to popular directors and producers. This issue is thus dealt with by leaving out personal numbers and email ids of these film personalities and instead printing the numbers of their managers. “If I put in their real numbers,chances are they will get two lakhs calls per day,” laughs Malhotra. The fear of misuse also means that the directory isn’t disseminated in the usual places,and is mostly delivered to the homes of people who have ordered for it.