Who killed the big film?

Last year saw 35 directors make their debuts. Small budget films that were a hit at the box office in 2010 have encouraged producers to take the tight-budgeted, big idea in a small package route. Unusual marketing andu00a0 shift in audience demand for uncommon stories are behind the change, say expertsu00a0

The new year opened with a little-big filmu00a0-- No One Killed Jessica, produced by UTV Spotboy. The Friday release is a reasonably-budgeted film that's hit screens after a welter of big-budget movies. Last year saw a surprising 35 debutant directors release their films. Significantly, the films that redefined cinematic conventionsu00a0 during the year were largelyu00a0 directed by first-timers.
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Vidya Balan in a still from No One Killed Jessica, the first
small-budget film of the 2011 that hit theatres this Friday

Subhash Kapoor, writer-director of Phans Gaye Re Obama, says, "The fact that we are not talking about one Bheja Fry or Khosla Ka Ghosla, is encouraging. Last year, almost seven such films received both, critical acclaim and box office success. It indicates a fundamental shift in the definition of popular entertainment and audience perception."

Small films made at one-fourth the budget allotted to the big gunsu00a0-- Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Guzaarish), Ashutosh Gowariker (Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se), Rakesh Roshan /Anurag Basu (Kites), Mani Ratnam (Raavan), Rahul Dholakia (Lamhaa), Vipul Shah (Action Replayy) and Farah Khan (Tees Maar Khan) -- made a telling impact. In total, these anticipated superstar-starrers cost the Indian entertainment industry an aggregate loss off Rs 400 crores.

Says Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV, "At UTV, we've been backing this movement for years, right from Dibakar Bannerjee's Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday, Anurag Kashyap's Dev D, Rajkumar Gupta's Aamir, Shyam Benegal's Welcome To Sajjanpur, Nishikant Kamat's Mumbai Meri Jaan to Paresh Mokashi's Harishchadrachi Factory. In 2010, we had Vikramaditya Motwane's Udaan and Anusha Razvi's Peepli [Live]."

Actor Ronit Roy who came into his own with a stellar performance in the 63 Cannes Film Festival's showstopper Udaan, thinks the movement towards meaningful movies is significant. "Udaan, LSD and Peepli [Live] rank top three on IMDB users' global listing. This seems to indicate that the audience has come of age. It will appreciate good cinema. This year is likely to see more such films."

This hardly means that veteran filmmakers were dormant in 2010. The ever-prolific Shyam Benegal made a fair impact with Well Done, Abba, which was linked in theme and treatment to Anusha Rizvi's Peepli [Live]. Actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar bounced back with the gritty and guttural chawl-tale City Of Gold, which unfortunately didn't find a large audience.

Big 'small' debuts
Here's looking at 2010's debut films that mattered. Amit Rai's Road To Sangam was a gentle nostalgic look at a true incident in the life of a Gandhian, who craves to take Gandhiji's ashes to the Ganga. It hadu00a0 an endearing central performance by Paresh Rawal, and an authentic feel to the goings-on.

Abhishek Choubey's Ishqiya was a deliciously erotic look at a scheming, seductive woman's (Vidya Balan) sexual manipulation of an uncle-nephew pair. Great impact and terrific music by the Gulzar-Vishal Bhardwaj team. Irrfan Kamal's Thanks, Maa was a gritty look at the life of street kids, with natural performances and an engaging plot.

Vikramaditya Motwane's Udaan conveyed sensitivity compounded by linear, straight-from-the-hip storytelling. Abhishek Sharma's Tere Bin Laden was a fiercely original comedy with a message of world peace. Rizvi's Peepli [Live] took a look at wretched poverty minus sentimentality. Sushil Rajpal's Antardwand explored the dowry menace and groom-kidnapping tradition in Bihar while telling a story that had dramatic potential. Habib Faizal's Do Dooni Chaar was a heartwarming look at a middle-class Delhi family, with endearing performances by veteran actor couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

Faruk Kabir's Allah Kay Banday gave an edgy street-wise look and feel to the narrative and focussed on the plight of juvenile criminals. Maneesh Sharma's Band Baaja Baaraat was the surprise hit of the yearu00a0-- an idea executed with great dialogues and credible performances. Subhash Kapoor's Phans Gaye Re Obama was a thoroughly entertaining look at the kidnapping industry.u00a0u00a0
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Future rivals?
So, will small films nudge behemoths out of business? Abhishek Sharma warns against excessive optimism over the small-is-big mantra. "There's no doubt that small films did well in 2010. But we must not be tempted to coin a success mantra presuming small films are big at the box office. We, in the entertainment industry, are always seeking a formula. Butu00a0 there isn't one. Most films that worked last year were priced correctly, had a fresh story to tell and were sensibly-marketed. These are the three most important factors behind a successful film, irrespective of whether it's a small, independent or big star-driven studio film."

Trade expert Taran Adarsh adds a note of caution about the optimism regarding small films. "Small films need to be supported by a big studio. Otherwise, most multiplex theatres refuse to take them seriously."

Dibakar Banerjee's Love Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD) redefined popular entertainment while making a sizeable profit for producer Ekta Kapoor. Banerjee thinks size doesn't matter. "Let it be puny. As long as it doesn't cynically reach for the audiences' wallet, I am fine with it. The film should reach out to connect with the audience, and become a hit. Good marketing for small films is very important. That's what made LSD and Peepli [Live] the phenomena that they became."

But the filmmaker refuses to be restricted by budgets. "I want to do big-scale films too. For my next film Shanghai, which is my biggest budget film to date, I'm creating a careful balance of content and strategy."