The screen is tilting towards the South. For every Hindi film that UTV Motion Pictures is bankrolling, there is a southern venture it is investing in.
Similarly, Reliance Big Pictures of ADAG which has lined up 15 Hindi films, also has six Telugu, one Tamil, one Punjabi and two Bengali movies on the production floors.
Corporate investors in the film industry such as Reliance Big Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures and Eros International are also now increasingly focusing on regional films.
Mr Mahesh Ramanathan, Chief Operating Officer of Big Pictures, says the South Indian film industry is really exciting to be in. After
Growing footprint
In Telugu, it is producing six films including Zanjeer – remake of the 1970s' blockbuster — with Ram Charan Teja in the lead; and one with Pavan Kalyan in the lead. “We are planning more in these languages,” said Mr Ramanathan.
Similarly, UTV Motion Pictures too has lined up four movies in Tamil and two in Telugu. Mr G. Dhananjayan, Chief – South Business , says, besides Tamil and Telugu, the company is getting into Malayalam too with its first film Grand Master, featuring Mohanlal and Priyamani in the lead. Its second Malayalam film Husbands in Goa is under production.
The company's Tamil film Kalakalappu @ Masala Café (directed by Sundar C) is due for release in May; and its Mugamoodi (directed by Mysskin ) and Thandavam (by A. L. Vijay) are under production, said Mr Dhananjayan. Besides, UTV is also planning to remake Delhi Belly in Tamil and Telugu.
Its Hindi remake of Vettai with Shahid Kapoor in the lead is also set to go on the floors by June. The advantage here is, since the company has the complete movie rights, if the movie is successful in one language, it could be dubbed into others.
Eros too has lined up three Tamil films, two Rajnikanth starrers — Rana and Kochadaiyaan ; and Vijay's Yohan – Adhyayam Ondru .
Globally, Bollywood might be the face of Indian cinema, but thanks to bolder themes, technical expertise and entry of corporate giants, regional cinema is growing by leaps and bounds.
South has major pie
According to a Deloitte study, around 50-55 per cent of the films produced in India have been from the South over the last five years.
With 230–250 films being produced annually in each of the four languages, the South is a dominant player in the regional movies' market. The study further estimates that the South Indian film industry is expected to grow at 11 per cent, touching Rs 3,200 crore by 2015.