It might be infuriating to hear someone complain about the kind of crowd at festivals; especially when the people of Kerala have celebrated film festivals here as the festival of masses. It was not so long ago that filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s suggestion to have an entrance test for IFFKl audience was famously booed down.
But when a filmmaker whose film has not had a theatrical release despite it being shown at IFFK bitterly complains about the audience, one cannot but lend a sympathetic ear. Prem Shankar who made Randu Per, a film chosen in the international competition section of the 22nd IFFK, was speaking on the sidelines of the 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
“I am not saying that all viewers are bad. There are some excellent viewers, and I have learnt from them. But in general, most of them are smart, but not in a good way. They would be ready to pay ' 300 for a festival, because they can watch at least 5 movies in a week. However, when a good movie reaches the theatre, they would not pay, and would rather wait for it to reach their TV screens,” he says.
He has other stinging accusations regarding how callous the viewers are about the films they come to watch. “They would arrive in the middle of a movie, but when they open the door, it affects the projection quality and spoils the experience for everyone watching the film. They might talk over their phones,” he said.
The same people, he adds resentfully, would not mind spending up to ' 300 to book their tickets for an average commercial film. He shares an experience of screening his film at Kodungalloor to prove that the viewing experience is no less gratifying for the regular theatre goers. Many had walked up to him and appreciated the work, he says.
There, young filmmakers had wanted to know how to sell their work. “I told them there is only one way. We needed to rope in actors with satellite-backup. Theatre owners want stars. General audience wants stars. For the first three or four days of a film, the star value is important to pull the crowd. Moreover, satellite channels would have paid so much that even before the release of the movie you would have made enough money,” he says.
His film had two unknown faces as its protagonists—Basil Poulose and Santhi Balachandran. “It is difficult to convince everyone from the producer to the theatre owner, and finally the audience, when your film does not have a star actor,” he says.He is now talking to movie streaming service providers like Netflix, as well as some channels, to see if his film can reach more people, the good or the bad.
