The first half of 1998 did see an increase in the number of releases over the corresponding period last year, but what gives trade circles cause for alarm is the dwindling success rate. The first half of 1998 saw 50 releases (excluding dubbed films), while in the first half of ’97, 53 films (13 of them dubbed) were released. In fact, were it not for Ghulam and Major Saab, which were released towards the end of June to promising initials, the record would have seemed even bleaker. And the period could well have been described as the worst six months for Hindi filmdom since 1984-85, when the threat from the video first hit the trade, and soothsayers first suggested it was the end of the road for Mumbai’s filmdom.

Take the case of the first half of 1997: Border, Hero No 1, Judwaa and Ziddi enjoyed excellent runs at the b-o, Virasat did good business too, while Yeshwant and Aastha also fared creditably well in some circuits. This year, on the other hand, only two films, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and Ghulam have done good business. AB Corp’s much-awaited Major Saab did open to a thumping response at the turnstiles, but it’s still too early to predict how it will fare on a longer run. Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai did average business despite the dampener welcome, while Kama Sutra which met with a resounding welcome, petered out to a tamer finish, just about managing to do reasonable business on the whole. Chandaal and Sher-e-Hindustan did well, but only at a few circuits.

Now it’s time for some soul-searching for filmdom, when everybody who is somebody in films takes stock of the emerging trends. And agrees to work together in the common interests, with discipline and selflessness. Desperate situations call for desperate remedies, and it’s time solutions that were acceptable to everyone were found. Or the golden goose could well be dead before its time.

For a start, the stars and the directors should consider a cut in wages. The stars should realise that none of them can guarantee the kind of initials for any film that Amitabh Bachchan once did. The Big B was once considered capable of making even a mediocre film run, solely on the strength of his performance. Sadly even his films have flopped in the recent past.

Most of the top stars and directors failed miserably in the first half of the year. Shah Rukh Khan (Duplicate), Sunny Deol (Zor, Salaakhen), Govinda (Aunty No 1, Banarsi Babu, Achanak), Nana Patekar (Yugpurush), Anil Kapoor (Gharwali Baharwali, Kabhi Na Kabhi), Sunil Shetty (Vinashak, Aakrosh, Humse Badhkar Kaun?), Akshay Kumar (Keemat) were among the stars who took a drubbing at the b-o. And among the directors, David Dhawan (Banarsi Babu, Gharwali Baharwali), Parto Ghosh (Yugpurush), Priyadarshan (Saat Rang Ke Sapne, Kabhi Na Kabhi), Mahesh Bhatt (Duplicate), Umesh Mehra (Qila), Guddu Dhanoa (Salaakhen) also had to contend with reversals. It’s time the stars who demand anything between Rs 1 crore and 2 crore and the top directors who ask for Rs 1 crore to 1.50 crore, got a lot more down-to-earth.

The directors and the stars should also ensure that their films take no longer than a year or a 100 shifts to make. Most films have been averaging between 200 to 300 shifts, which only increases the costs of production. The lower the production costs of a film, the more realistic would be its eventual pricing. Directors would do well to take a leaf out of Yash Chopra’s book, for he makes quality films in well under 80 shifts.

Making films with newcomers is no surefire remedy. After Phool Aur Kaante, no film starring newcomers has made it big all over India, though some, like Fareb, Tere Mere Sapne, Maachis and Masoom have met with a measure of success.

The quality of filmmaking also seems to have gone down drastically. Good films have managed to do well, as can be gauged by the fact that the Gujarati film, Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya managed to rake in Rs 10 crore, and the Marathi film, Sarkarnamaa fared creditably well too. As did the English film, Titanic. The audiences for Marathi and Gujarati films had been weaned over to Hindi films, because of the woeful lack of quality in films in these languages. It’s an encouraging trend, that good films even in these languages still did whopping business, once the element of quality was adhered to. Likewise, the audience for Hindi films, particularly the youth, could be weaned over to English films, as was the case 13 years ago, when quality was at a premium. The bottomline, then, is very simple: make good film, will succeed.

Distributor Ramesh Sippy of BRA Enterprises, says, “The films did badly because they were bad, and the prices were very unrealistic. Previously, there were six buyers for one film, now there is no buyer for six films put together. Some distributors who got too ambitious, during the boom period were bound to fall, and they did. The problem of video piracy also should be tackled on an urgent footing. But he hopes that the second half will be better, as some good films are slated for release. Vinay Choksi of VIP Films, Mumbai, also echoes the same feelings. Devendra Shah of Girnar Films, Mumbai, adds,”These periods are cyclical. Once films start flopping, the buyers and financiers decide to play safe. The same people return the moment a few films do well. One can draw comfort in the fact that the second half can’t be much worse.” But Ravi Patwa of Vijayshri Pictures, Patna, says the fault was not in the pricing, but in the quality. “Bad films won’t do well even if the pricing is realistic. Nothing on earth can save a bad film.”

OP Goyal of Laxmi Pictures, Indore, says “I have never witnessed such a bad period in the last 30 years. And I don’t think things will improve until and unless artistes work out some formula for success as Mithun Chakraborty has.”

Here's the list of some of the leading Mumbai distributors’ releases in first half of ’98.