Hit Man

The producer is king. An adage so sacrosanct in showbiz, that its defiance has spawned new movements, unearthed new talents and forged new languages.

THE producer is king. An adage so sacrosanct in showbiz, that its defiance has spawned new movements, unearthed new talents and forged new languages. In cinema, a subtle twist to this rule led to the studio system. In the early Eighties, its complete subversion hatched the independent film movement in the US8212;based on a belief that truly vital American cinema must include the personal, idiosyncratic, and controversial voices of filmmakers. And both worked as two different business modules.

We, in India, didn8217;t witness such informed transition. We leaped to the multiplex era, whereby the onus of promoting different kinds of cinema fell directly on the distributor8212;precisely why the producer-as-king dictum can still work here. Why, otherwise, would Bollywood czar Yash Chopra be able to have Fanaa, the latest offering from his production house Yashraj Films, screened in multiplexes on his own terms.

Last week, Chopra irked the Multiplex Owners8217; Association of India by demanding a stake higher than the mandatory first week8217;s profit that goes to the producer for Fanaa. Despite protests, Chopra stuck to his guns. Yashraj Films being what it is, multiplex owners cowered.

Three multiplex chains signed three different agreements with Yashraj8212;Chopra apparently met Manmohan Shetty of the Adlabs chain in person on the eve of the film8217;s release8212;and the happy ending was clinched.

What with Yashraj dishing out three multi-starrers this summer8212;Rakesh Roshan8217;s Krrish, which Yashraj Films is distributing; Karan Johar8217;s Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna, Kabul Express and Dhoom II8212;are many more such agreements in store?

In that case, other producers are bound to follow the bull and put their own stakes on the table. God forbid, the regular Joe will pay more from his pocket for tickets to ensure the profit-sharing equation remains intact.

THIS is just one glaring instance of bulldozing that Yashraj Films gets away with. Chopra recently demanded a fee from television music channels for airing songs of Fanaa in slots that are meant to be free. He threatened to sue Ronnie Screwvala of UTV films because an advertisement of UTV8217;s Rang De Basanti claimed that it was the highest grossing film in a decade. Screwvala, of course, apologised.

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At the annual FICCI convention in Mumbai, Chopra criticised the release of Akbar Khan8217;s Taj Mahal in Pakistan, claiming that his own film Veer-Zaara should have been the one to be released first. Till today Yashraj pays Maratha Mandir, a decrepit theatre in central Mumbai, to screen morning shows of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Industry insiders believe Yashraj bought out tickets for the universally panned Neal 8217;n8217; Nikki and labelled it a hit.

NOBODY understands the turbulent workings of the Indian box office better than the 74-year-old moghul. From Jalandhar to Bombay in the early Fifties and going on to create and run the biggest film production house in Mumbai, Chopra8217;s is a journey informed by shrewd business acumen.

He deserted the engaged creative voice early. Dhool Ka Phool 1959, his directorial debut, was an epic melodrama about unwed motherhood and a plea for communal harmony. Lesser-known ones like the thriller Ittefaq 1969 and Dharamputra 1961 culminated in the multi-starrer Waqt and Deewar, which was a breakthrough role for Amitabh Bachchan. After establishing his own banner recently listed as the 26th largest film studio in the world, Chopra became the god for aspiring stars. Shah Rukh Khan8217;s meteoric rise in the Nineties rested on a string of Yashraj8217;s trademark candyfloss romances.

Over the years, the seasoned director-producer8217;s foolproof formula became this: the stars are in, so create hype, cash in on it the first couple of weeks by hook or by crook, and seven out of ten times, it8217;s a hit.

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So what does the film fraternity do when Yash Chopra bullies his way through? It bends and makes way. The producer gets away with the last laugh.