Nerve Endings Firing Away

Continuing India-China comparisons on the celluloid front, the movie-going experience is something that both countries are seeing a resurgence in. Both the countries experienced a downward trend in box office collections due to a variety of reasons, be it piracy or infusion of new technologies like video tapes and DVDs. However rampant piracy might be, it simply cannot duplicate the movie-going experience. As TechDirt rightly recognizes that going out for a movie is a social experience. We don’t just go for the final product i.e. the movie itself but also for expensive popcorn, social connections with our friends, the delightful audio-visual experience, the after-movie coffee, people-watching at the plaza, and of course uninterrupted pleasure of passive recreation. But cramped smelly musty theaters filled with creeps and unimaginable creatures followed by horrible quality audio and visuals made going out for a movie simply worthless. I remember having missed out a whole generation of movies simply because going to a theater left you with a bad taste and oodles of angst not directed at the movie. Peering over my shoulder for rats whilst sitting in the back row of Rupali theatre at Panvel was enough to keep me away from theaters for a long time (the other theater, Gangaram was simply not an option).

But then something happened. Indian and Chinese theaters experienced a wave of fresh ideas. The concept of multiplexes made the Long Tail longer and movies, which otherwise wouldn’t fill up a thousand-seat theater were shown in tiny 100-seat mini-theater. Dolby sound and better visuals accompanied by more comfortable seats, air conditioning, tasteful ambience, more leg room made the movie going experience fun again. Carefully-planned trips to the select few quality town theaters were soon replaced by impulsive decisions to see movies at quality suburban multiplexes. Movies are made for the big screen, which if viewed on the 21-inch screen of your TV do not have the same effect. Of course, piracy was still rampant and DVDs made home viewing better but it had no impact whatsoever on box office collections, as theater attendance rose sharply. Sadly, the quality of the movies still leaves lot to be desired although technical aspects have improved. Inde-movies made by hobbyist filmmakers (Hyderabad Blues, Bombay Boys, etc) became cult classics and inspired a whole generation of wannabe “HandyCam-toting” filmmakers. The lesson however was clear — if you give the consumer a wholesome quality experience, they will come in droves to see even the most pathetic movie.

I am glad that Indians and Chinese were on the same page for once although our northern neighbors seemed to have beyond pleasing domestic audiences. Lollywood, on the other hand is in the doldrums. Of course, nothing surprising about that.

Update: South Africa is taking a big jump by going straight to the digital medium. Good for them.