Mumbai: As with all good arguments, it featured icy silences and bruised egos, power struggles and temper tantrums. And as in all happy endings, the warring parties made up with a hug and a kiss.
In a grand finale that lasted about 14 hours and culminated in a nail-biting finish, the film fraternity resolved its two-month-long stand-off with multiplex owners in the early hours of Friday morning, opening the floodgates for a backlog of cinematic releases, starting with Star Trek, which released on Friday.
It’s showtime: Moviegoers are expected to flock to cinema halls now that the two-month-long stand-off between film producers and multiplex owners over box office takings has been resolved. Ashesh Shah / Mint
“We have agreed, on good terms,” said Mukesh Bhatt, spokesman for the Producers Distributors Forum, whose film
Jashn has been slated for a 3 July release, following a sleepless night of talks at Yash Raj studios in the Mumbai suburb of Andheri. “The strike has been called off and we are very happy with the outcome.”
Up to 40 films, including Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey, starring Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor, as well as Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq, with Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar, which had been put on hold since the start of the dispute over revenue-sharing terms on 4 April, are now being lined up for release in the coming months.
The Hindi movie release schedule will kick off on Friday, 12 June, with Vashu Bhagnani’s Kal Kisne Dekha, starring Juhi Chawla and Rishi Kapoor, followed a week later by Piyush Jha’s Sikandar, and then New York, Yash Raj Films’ first production of the year, directed by Kabir Khan and starring Katrina Kaif, John Abraham and Irrfan Khan. The film had initially been lined up for a 1 May release.
Movie honchos and multiplex owners broke the deadlock after several false alarms at about 2.30am on Friday, with all parties signing a memorandum of understanding. This came after weeks of talks in different locations across the city and often with people conferenced in from across the world, all aided by the intervention of actors, industry veterans and business leaders.
Listen to Mukesh Bhatt explaining how the producers and distributors struck the deal
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The mood on signing was one of relief and happiness, according to Jyoti Deshpande, chief operating officer of production house Eros International Plc., who was present during the talks.
“There were hugs and kisses, and everyone was happy that a happy outcome had been reached,” said Deshpande. “Everyone who was involved came together, held hands and reached a goalpost.”