kamal

Bollywood films and its superstars are rocking the lucrative overseas market, with Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film My Name Is Khan (MNIK) being described as a ‘global phenomenon’ by trade analysts. Hindi films today recover almost 40 percent of its total revenue from overseas markets.

Contrastingly, in Kollywood, films with big heroes have a measly 7 to 10 percent of its total gross from overseas markets. Why is it that the overseas market of Tamil films is not in the league of Hindi films, despite being the second largest revenue earner among Indian films in foreign countries? Reasons Jayavel Murugan, one of the biggest distributors for Tamil films in the US, “First and foremost, there is only a market for Tamil superstars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Suriya, Vikram and Ajith — in that order. There is no real market for other heroes’ films as a lot depends on reviews on the Internet. Recently, Tamizh Padam (a spoof on Kollywood) — which got rave reviews on the Internet — has become a sleeper hit.”

Last year, 60 to 65 of the total 132 films were released in overseas markets. However, considering the fact that the Tamil diaspora has settled in more than 50 countries globally, the revenue from Tamil films is insignificant. The highest collecting Tamil films in the overseas market are — Sivaji (said to have grossed around Rs 12 crore), Dasavatharam (rumoured to have grossed around Rs 10 crore) and Pokkiri (around Rs 5 crore).

The reason for the lacklustre response to Tamil films at the BO overseas is mainly due to rampant piracy. According to an estimate made by an Anti Movie Piracy Company (AMPC), about 1,200 illegal websites upload Tamil films the moment they are released. These websites operate out of overseas countries and cater to the local Tamil audiences. Pirated DVDs of Tamil films get released within a day of the film’s release and are sold across the 50 countries where there is revenue potential.

Recently, Bollywood biggies signed up with multiple AMPCs to delete illegal Internet video streams of movies like 3 Idiots, Paa and the recent MNIK. So, why cannot Tamil producers employ similar tactics to prevent illegal files of their films on the Internet? Says a leading Tamil producer, “The trouble is that while Hindi films are literally releasing worldwide in 400 to 500 screens, Tamil films release in hardly a dozen countries (in 50 to 70 screens). Also, Hindi films are getting newer markets (MNIK released in 8 screens in Egypt) where there are hardly any Indians. But, Tamil films have not gone beyond traditional markets.”

Concludes Jayavel Murugan, “Top Bollywood heroes go to every nook and corner of the planet to promote their films. But, Kollywood superstars refuse to do overseas promotions. Kollywood should shed its conservative approach and market films aggresively if it wants to survive.”