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1. `Predictably, cinema exhibitors aren’t happy`

2. `With odds like these, the theatres don’t really need`

3. `half of the cinemas in the country are likely to be closed due to losses`

kaka has been listening to this kind of bull shit for sometime. `Research journalists` like Amritaji `documenting` the impact of piracy and feeling sorry for the victims etc.

kaka has no vested interest in the movie industry or the piracy industry.. but kaka is very interested in dumb arguments masquarding as insightful observations..

Simple questions need to be asked:

1. And you care about cinema exhibitors because..?

2. Again, slip-sliding onto the concerns of the theaters and making it everyone`s business. WHY SHOULD ANYONE CARE, WHAT HAPPENS TO THEATERS?

3. Bhy, do closing of cinemas mark the end of civilization as we know it?

WHO IS BEING SERVED BY THE PIRACY OF MOVIES? Ordinary people! Indeed, the light-person and the set-decorator and the ordinary wage-earner loses out if the industry suffers. But really should we care for an economic trend so local and so fleeting?

Now let kaka delineate the positive effects of the humbling of cinema industry. First, anything that has become an industry and has consolidated its input-output flow is never good for the consumers (WHICH IS US, lest anyone forgets). Second, an industry always spawns (and has spawned, in the case of movie industry) mediocre and sub-par products JUST BECAUSE AN INDUSTRY CAN (Pauly Shore for example)! We, the consumers, would like the truly talented and the truly passionate artist to pursue movie making. THIS CAN BE ONLY ACHIEVED BY MAKING THE INDUSTRY UNPROFITABLE ENOUGH for hicks from Iowa (are you listening kutchner?) to stay on the farm and plant the corn. Only the true `artists` who do it for love of their craft need apply!

The movie industry because of its nature of BROADCASTING and finally netting billions of consumers around the world, pays its stars millions which in turn causes them to become complacent and mediocre. Could Whitney Houston or Michael Jackson be in their sorry state of affairs had they been compensated depreciatively less than what they actually recieved? Same is the case for basketball players and musicians. And lets not forget Jennifer Lopez/Eddie Murphy/Jamie Fox, who after being freed from economic considerations, crossed over to music, showcasing their mediocrity and annoying the rest of us. AND THESE ARE LEGITIMATE PERFORMERS. They were just lured into mediocrity because their industries rewarded them outrageously for their li`l song and dance called their craft.

What really gets kaka furious is that, the likes of Amrita and Time magazine and moronic publications like that `champion` causes like these and make it everyone`s business to be concerned about trivial `problems`.

Bottom line: PIRACY IS GOOD! Not that kaka has ever benfitted from it. Which reminds kaka to ask.. where can kaka get the Paris Hilton video for free?

Amrita would like to ask Kaka what Kaka feels about the anonymous crew of the movie industry - the grips, the spotboys, the assistants, the tens of thousands globally who are in danger of losing their livelihood coz movie making is no longer profitable for the fat cats who cut their check.

Amrita admits to Kaka -
1. Amrita`s wallet loves piracy
2. Amrita couldnt care less about cinema exhibitors ...
but Kaka misses the fact that
1. Amrita likes Soderbergh`s ideas
2. Soderbergh would basically replace the pirates and offer the same service legally AND THE CONSUMER WOULD STILL BENEFIT
... so Amrita suggests Kaka should learn to read.

finally Amrita would like to thank Kaka for visiting her in the fishy tank. Amrita appreciates the business.

`Amrita would like to ask Kaka what Kaka feels about the anonymous crew of the movie industry`

This has already been answered.. in #1

..Indeed, the light-person and the set-decorator and the ordinary wage-earner loses out if the industry suffers. But really should we care for an economic trend so local and so fleeting?

`but Kaka misses the fact that
1. Amrita likes Soderbergh`s ideas
2. Soderbergh would basically replace the pirates and offer the same service legally AND THE CONSUMER WOULD STILL BENEFIT`

1. Why? Why do you like his idea? What `problem` do you think this solves? Why is this `problem` so dear to your heart? Why have you slid yourself in this position of caring? (These questions really are addressed to your overall tendency of slipping into `reporting` and `documenting` issues which are kinda cool to have a decent opinion about.. but extremely dumb when you do decide to make the argument).

2. Oooo, are we really worried about the legality of things? You want a cutie-pa2tie solution that rescues the lovey-dovey status quo without violating huggybear laws? Do we also like Soderbergh AS AN ACTIVIST, since he is also a preferred director? His actions are good, because his directing is good?

DO YOU SEE THE ARGUMENT OF TOO MUCH MONEY IN THE INDUSTRY SPAWNING MEDIOCRITY?

A nicely written piece-

yeah, go ahead, ravage our only source of sasti-entertainment! :@

on a serious note, the idea of simultaneous release might help Hollywood mend some of its wounds, but I don`t think it`s gonna work for Bollywood. Even in Pakistan, you can find smuggled unedited alpha versions of movies months before their actual release date. And these too at a fraction of the cost a `legally relased` DVD would bear. Who`s gonna take the stakes for a progressive cinema, when they get the entertainment it`s meant for anyway?

shobs - why dont u go rain on someone else`s parade? grr.
but seriously, thats where the distribution network and the law comes in. bollywood piracy has ties to the underworld and you might not know it but there`s a definite Bombay-Pakistan-Europe nexus which means big bucks for some shady pockets. With prices of DVDs and VCDs going down like nobody`s business, I think its entirely possible that Bollywood can do something about it. But yeah, I dont think this is going to become the industry standard overnight... but the smaller movies, like the cineplex hits that sometimes fail to reach a larger audience should look into it imo.

Mantolives - thank you.

For Kaka -

Amrita appreciates Kaka`s coolth in his utopian vision of perfection in art while he ignores the fact that his ``local trend and little industry`` increasingly affect the lives of more and more people around the world than any other art form. Kaka seems unaware that the world does not always look for artistic merit in what it takes to heart. The artistic value of Speilberg`s Jurassic Park and Govinda`s Aankhein are both in severe doubt but each has been called an important movie.

One man`s art is another`s trash and as hard as it may be for Kaka to fathom, in a world where there is even a market for Mithun da`s movies, it is not up to him or Amrita to decide what should be made and what should be allowed to die. That is where lovely little repressive idaologies like fascism end up because art if always the first thing to be censored.

Also for example, when Hong Kong was making truly awful slasher movie, Amrita wouldnt have minded if they`d fallen off the face of the earth but as kaka might be aware, that would have crushed a man called Tarantino who liked them fine. now perhaps Kaka doesnt care for Tarantino either but Amrita really likes him and if Hong Kong slashers leads to a Kill Bill or two, Amrita for one will not argue.

As much as Amrita doesnt care for fat cat exhibitors, she really has a problem with fat cat extortionists and gangsters running off prints of other peeps` work and making mucho moolah. While Amrita has contributed to their pocket money in the past, Amrita would much rather deck them one in the gonads. Soderbergh;s ideas lead to a kick in their collective gonads and that makes Amrita a very happy girl. Yay Soderbergh!

amrita,

kaka thought he was the only unplugged chowkie to get published recently, now that you have joined the ranks, but with a good article for a change, he`s getting all jealous

Scoutie - thanks for coming by. :)

Ams,

Great informative article!

Enjoyable article, Amrita. Let`s have more.

thanks saminoo....

supersize - thank you. i hope so too :)

I imagine those who continue to go to theaters are singles or couples who like the cinema experience. An evening out at the movies could set a couple with 2 kids 50 - 75 bucks back counting in parking and overpriced popcorn & soda. A DVD disc on the other hand costs less than $20.
While there is a valid argument to be made that DVD release would reduce theater attendance, reality may not be as simple. The interrugnum between theatrical and video rental release has shrunk from 4 months to 2 and, apparently, even to zero. Demand for DVDs spikes initially and falls off exponentially in a matter of a few weeks or even days. It`s possible that earlier DVD release would sustain that demand and increase revenue OVERALL. A revenue sharing arrangement as Cuban & co have worked out with theaters may end up benefiting everyone. We`ll have to wait & see.
Ultimately tho, it`s the greed of theater owners who stick it to you in every way possible that has seen a decline in moviegoing. Plus it doesn`t help that you can have your own big screen and state-of-the art audio system at home for under $10K. Most people would rather wait for DVDs than go to a theater.
The situation with indian movies is completely different since piracy is endemic there and revenue is mostly from theaters.

nothing can beat the experience of watching a well made movie in the theatre, the whole experience of watching say lord of the rings is lost on dvd. sorderberg`s ideas can definately work for bollywood. let the customer decide which way he/she wants to watch a movie.
hamzaad has a point that about the stars raking in all the moolah which in turn encourages mediocrity. in bollywood, star kids/beauty queens/ models etc, become actors bec of the huge money involved and the movie goer has to bear terrible acting and watch some real ugly duckings [star kids ]. talented ppl dont get a chance.

Amrita Ji,

A good thought provoking article. Are you in the TV or the movie industry?

I`ll admit to being a low-brow and have never seen a Soderbergh masterpiece. NOw that you have warned, I`ll try to steer clear of the master even if he were handing free DVDs at Costco. I hate pretentious buggers. By contrast, the Lord of the Rings movies in the theatre were a joy to watch and had far more value than the costlier DVDs on high definition TV. Actually I buy the DVDs, if I like a movie.

I do not support piracy, because it is just plain theft of somebody`s property. Hamzad is a very persuasive debater and I have to be careful here. I do not steal, burglarize or pick pockets because I hate others to steal my property or money. That the victims have enough or too much money and stolen goods help the consumers is not too convincing. Kaka can easily afford to buy a new car every weekend, but it is annoying to call a taxi after a day`s work. It will be maddening for Kaka to play pocket billiards instead of heading home in his new car, that he bought just last Sunday. Moreover the greedy rich auto dealership will soon go under because Kaka and Hamzad are the only buyers at dealership and car thieves have very low overheads. What willl kaka do then?

The other argument that piracy is well entrenched and can not be fought is a good one and does present a problem. One way to solve piracy is for the movie producers to have enforcement licenses from a hanging judge type of magistrate. They can slug it out with the pirates without involving the taxpayer. Meanwhile sod Soderbergh.

Ams, well written piece. I particularly like the way you (deliberately?) steered clear of the ``moral`` argument of IPR protection while talking about piracy. Though a valid iddue, it would have diluted your point considerably.

It`s completely silly to delay DVD editions of a movie till a point that all interest in the film has died down. I completely agree with Soderbergh here. Why should I trudge all the way to a cinema theatre, find parking, shell out obscene multiplex ticket rates, buy overpriced popcorn, not enjoy alcoholic beverages (except in Calcutta, bless you!) or sit in my chaddi-baniyan while I enjoy the latest blockbuster?

Going to the cinema is an experience that rivals taking the kids to the zoo these days (and costs about as much too). You can`t do it every weekend. Renting DVDs is so much easier.