Posted:
Box Office column discontinued due to fudging of numbers by film industry
Priya Gupta
You and us thrive on our films and our film stars. We were the first paper to have started reporting box office numbers, but despite our best efforts in wanting to report accurate numbers, we have decided to discontinue this column. The stakes of filmmakers have increased so much that they are willing to go any distance to manipulate and jack up their numbers to beat each other's records. While there is not much incentive for small films to report false numbers, big filmmakers happily report hiked up numbers. Their need for breaking records surpasses all their other needs. Bombay Times being the largest and the most respected medium in the space of Entertainment, affects them when we report numbers that do not match their hiked numbers. Some common manias that we have observed:
Interestingly, while filmmakers have no hesitation in picking up the phone and trying to convince us about their false data, they will not send formal emails confirming the data as they are scared of subsequent expose. They know that they have achieved their purpose by media reporting so and so beats so and so'. We will continue to love films and our stars but for the sake of you the reader, who bestow trust on us giving us a part of your life everyday, we cannot cheat you and report numbers knowing that they are inaccurate.
As a nation progresses, its industries evolve, mature, become more organised, more responsible, more accountable. Bollywood and software are two of India's only truly global industries. The software industry, with companies like TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Cognizant, is today recognised and respected not just for the work it produces, but also for the corporate standards it has set. Why can't Bollywood do the same? Yes, any such transition will be difficult, even painful " because old habits are always difficult to shed, especially in an industry driven by personal egos. But, in the long run, the benefits that will accrue from genuine corporatisation will far outweigh the losses, if any. Banks will be more willing to lend to the industry, bringing down interest costs which are at present very high. Investors will be more open to acquiring equity if they are confident that the numbers aren't cooked up. The stock market has time and again placed a premium on companies with high ethical and accounting standards, and discounted those that are known to take short-cuts. It's time Bollywood asked itself, why can't we be as respected as we are popular? It will, over time, discover that coming clean' serves its own interest as much as it does everyone else's.
1) OPENING DAY RECORD MANIA:
Big films start hiking numbers from day one itself as big stars want to beat each other's opening day records.
2) HIGHEST WEEKEND MANIA:
Hiked up weekend numbers to show their supremacy over one another
3) 100 CRORE CLUB MANIA:
Films that have not reached the 100 crore mark but are close will insist that they have reached the 100 crore figure as they can't resist being in the 100 crore club.
4) 200 CRORE CLUB MANIA:
This is the biggest club and we believe all our top stars are in this club. But it is not enough for them to be in the club. What is important is who is the biggest.
Source: Bombay Times E-Paper
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Box-Office-column-discontinued/articleshow/26211585.cms
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
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