Film maker Cheran’s Tamil movie, JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai, will be the first film to be released on DVD, officially, simultaneously with the film’s release in theatres [January 15] as part of a new business model to tackle piracy.

In a bold move to check mounting losses because of film piracy, Cheran has launched the new initiative C2H (Cinema to Home).

“This will be a business model that should benefit all the stakeholders in the industry. And, my film could well be the first day-and-date release,” slated for January 15, Cheran told Business Line.

He said C2H would take care of the non-theatrical distribution business. It will sign a pact with the producer to distribute film on platforms such as satellite TV, cable TV and home video. While details are yet to be worked out for satellite and cable TV rights, the company has fixed the DVD price at ₹50. There are over 2.2 crore households in Tamil Nadu.

“Even if we manage to sell 20 lakh DVDs , it would amount to ₹ 10 crore. Of this at least ₹2 crore will go to the producer’s pocket, which will be an additional revenue stream,” he said.

C2H has also signed a pact with DVD maker Moser Baer. It will appoint over 150 dealers and 5,000 distributors to get these DVDs to households across Tamil Nadu and select cities in other southern states. “All our distributors will deliver the DVD at the consumers’ doorsteps,” he said.

However, according to Cheran, C2H will launch only select films – to be chosen by his team on the film’s merits. Barring big-budget films, all films will be released on the same day of their release in cinemas.

This will ensure ‘quality films’ for consumers at home on the day of their theatrical release. On whether this would have any impact on theatre collection for these films, Cheran said the idea is to create a transparent revenue stream for the producers. This will not hurt any stakeholders in the existing eco-system.

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