February 1: The January 26 earthquake in Gujarat has hurt the distributors of two films Aashiq, which released on January 26 and Kasoor, which releases on Friday as there will be no screenings in Gujarat and Saurashtra districts of the Bombay circuit for a while. Film distributors from the Gujarat and Saurashtra areas, which fall under the Bombay circuit, have approached producers for compensation for the price they have paid to release their films. Incidentally, the Bombay circuit is a distribution territory which comprises such areas or components as Bombay city and suburbs, the Thane-Raigad district, Gujarat district, Saurashtra, Goa and all remaining parts of Maharashtra. Producer Mukesh Bhatt says he has lost anything between Rs 30 and Rs 40 lakhs on Kasoor ‘‘because I can’t release my film in those areas.’’ He reveals that the monetary deal with his distributor will have to be renegotiated. ‘‘Almost forty per cent of the Bombay circuit business comes from the Gujarat and Saurashtra districts,’’ he reveals. Distributor Tolu Bajaj, whose Metro Films is committed to distribute Aashiq in the Bombay circuit says business has been affected not only in Gujarat and Saurashtra, but all over the country. ‘‘Out of fear, people have shied away from going to the cinemas all over,†he insists. He does explain, however, that areas where business has been most badly affected are those in Kutch (including Gandhidham, Bhuj, Adipur and Anjar). ‘‘There is no business whatsoever in Gujarat and Saurashtra, and we have no clue when things will get any better,’’ Bajaj says. Accepting that the makers and distributors of both Aashiq and Kasoor will suffer a huge dent in their revenue as an outcome of the earthquakes, distributor Shyam Shroff of Shringar Films explains, ‘‘Fortunately, no major new movies are scheduled for release after Kasoor, until the next eight to ten weeks.†Shroff feels the state government in Gujarat must help in the reconstruction of damaged cinema halls and perhaps provide a tax-free benefit to affected films so business can be restored promptly. Shroff insists that although 45 to 50 per cent of the Bombay circuit business is generated from the Gujarat and Saurashtra districts alone, this is not the first time that film-makers and distributors are suffering such a huge loss. ‘‘Similar losses were faced when cinema halls in Karnataka stayed shut for almost two months following the kidnapping of superstar Rajkumar by sandalwood smuggler Veerappan,’’ Shroff reveals, adding that at the time, producers allowed a concession to their South distributors. The film industry believes that film business in North Gujarat will take some two to three months to be restored, while it will take longer for business to resume smoothly in the Saurashtra district.
