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Journalism of Courage
During Valentine’s Week in 2023, when the film industry was still grappling with the pandemic’s after-effects and production work was slow, the multiplex chain PVR INOX re-released a few popular rom-coms as ‘fillers’ to cope with the lean period. The shows of fan-favourite Jab We Met (2007) — which had Geet, who epitomises self-love and transforms Aditya — were sold out across India. This success prompted the re-release of the Imtiaz Ali directorial. This time, too, the movie pulled the crowd back to the theatres.
At a time, when cinema halls were struggling with dismal footfall, such overwhelming response to older movies, high on nostalgia, led to the return of much-talked about movies such as Rockstar (2011), Tumbbad (2018), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Interstellar (2014) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). The focused re-release strategy under the multiplex chain’s ‘Curated Shows’ segment brought a mixed bag of classics as well as the critically-acclaimed films, which may not have enjoyed box-office success earlier. About a year ago, PVR INOX did a week-long retrospective of Zoya Akhtar’s movies that also marked her 15-year journey as a director.
The unexpected boost to this initiative came with the re-release of Laila Majnu, the film featuring Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary, on August 9, 2024. With that, the 2018 movie that was not a box-office success in spite of being critically appreciated, finally, got a chance to reconnect with the audience. Laila Majnu, which had earlier registered a box-office collection of Rs 3 crore, earned about Rs 10 crore. The folk-horror film Tumbbad, which had earned Rs 15 crore earlier, earned about Rs 35 crore when it was re-released. Popular movies like Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Rockstar made around Rs 25 crore and Rs 10 crore, respectively. The romantic drama Sanam Teri Kasam (2016) earned Rs 50 crore worldwide (source: Saclink), becoming the highest-grossing re-released film.
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The re-release of movies has now evolved into a major celebration. A grand cinematic evening was rolled out at Maison PVR, Mumbai, recently to celebrate Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan. Niharika Bijli, lead strategist, PVR INOX, shared: “We were surprised by the organic publicity its release triggered.” The movie, which was restored by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), went on to be released in about 30 Indian cities.
Moments before the premiere of Umrao Jaan’s 4K restored version, Ali was excited that a new generation of cinema lovers will be watching the 1981 masterpiece on the big screen. “I am waiting with bated breath to know how they will receive it. There is a continuity of feelings related to Umrao Jaan — people have watched it on small screens and heard about it from their parents. There is also a time lapse. Some of them have watched it earlier and are watching it again,” said Ali.
Fresh energy and thoughts have gone into making the ‘Cult Classics’ segment stronger. Niharika says, “We are trying to devise it in a way that we have a large circuit. There are about 1,700 screens (of PVR INOX). In a week that’s action packed and has Hollywood releases, we have the ability to offer something different. There is no compulsion that we have to release a certain number of films in a year. However, we are committed to preserving and reintroducing timeless films to newer generations through curated big-screen experiences.” Presented by Viacom18 Studios and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) will release on August 8. The Godfather Trilogy and Pride and Prejudice (2005), too, will play in theatres soon.
Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX Ltd, said, “Everytime we look at the release, the idea is to make it big. Some movies organically become big, given the audience’s love for them or depending on the starcast and director. We had 287 re-releases last year. That’s a big number.” Nearly 8.5 per cent of their overall revenue last financial year came from re-releases.
When asked about what’s driving the audience to watch the re-released movie, Sanjeev emphasises on “the comfort of predictability” as the primary reason. However, describing “the film business as very mystical”, he said, “Even today no one knows what will work. This is an industry where you can’t serve the same dish again and again. The audience prefers a buffet. At the end of the day, whether the movie is a spectacle or not, the story has to resonate with the viewers and the execution has to be good.”
