~~ Khoobsurat Reviews + BO Figures - PART2~~ - Page 49

Do you think Daawat-e-Ishq, which released on the same day, had an impact on your film?
I feel that if Daawat-e-Ishq had not released in the same week, our film would have been successful on the first day itself. Theirs was a much bigger film, Aditya Roy Kapur was coming after Aashiqui 2 (2013), Habib Faisal after Ishaqzaade (2012), and Aditya Chopra is a successful producer, who has a series of hits to his name. But every film has a journey, and we had ours.

How would you define yourself as a producer?
I'm a very different kind of producer; I spend a lot of my time on the concept of the film. So, when the concept of Khoobsurat was brought to me, I thought it was rubbish for today's day and age. But one day, Rhea told me she wanted to adapt the film, and I just connected with it. The rights of the film were with Tutu Sharma. We spoke to him, and he was gracious enough to give them to us. Then the team came to me with the budget of Rs. 15 crore, I slashed it by Rs. 3 crore. For me, it was important that the film becomes successful in the very first week. I told Rhea that it was not about the money. I have enough money to take care of the family, but the stamp of a hit is important.

ADDING: In Pakistan the domestic movie industry is so anemic - and the new movies that are being made here are few and far between (multiplexes have attracted a demographic which had earlier stopped going to cinema because of the seedy state of disrepair they had fallen into). That the bulk of movie content is either Hollywood (and now Bollywood). The introduction of Bollywood movies was seen as a major break for the local cinema industry (since many people would be watching these Bollywood movies anyway - on DVD etc. or cable). So for Bollywood movies there is scant competition from local fare. This may change as local movies are being made in higher number (and often-times by people who are not completely associated with "Lollywood" - as a result there is a resurgence of Urdu fare compared to the Punjabi Jutt-in-London type of movies that Lollywood had slid into). So having Bollywood content has made cinema theaters viable - and the creation of cinemas has created a place where the (occasional pakistani movie can be shown). So contrary to the exclamation from some quarters (like Samina Pirzada etc. earlier - don't know what she thinks now) - that Bollywood fare will stifle the new cinema in pakistan well before the new cinema has an opportunity to take hold - contrary to that I would suggest that it is the appearance of Bollywood movies which has "jump-started" the economic engine of movies in Pakistan. Otherwise it would have remained in the "chicken-and-egg" stage i.e. need content that people want to drive cinema theater growth - and need local cinema theaters (that people who have the money are willing to go to) before local movies can be screened there.