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Business News/ News / India/  Film stars to lose pay and shine post covid
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Film stars to lose pay and shine post covid

The film business is likely to decline by at least 50% over the next year or two as compared to the pre-pandemic period with fewer films available for release given the long break in production, fewer screens for showcasing and expected box office coming down substantially

A projectionist at Uma Theatre, Bengaluru, during a screening of ‘Premier Padmini’. (Photo: Sameer Raichur)Premium
A projectionist at Uma Theatre, Bengaluru, during a screening of ‘Premier Padmini’. (Photo: Sameer Raichur)

New Delhi: The covid-19 pandemic has dealt a bigger blow to movie stars and the idea of stardom in India than many of them currently realise, said entertainment industry experts. Overall, the film business is likely to decline by at least 50% over the next year or two as compared to the pre-pandemic period with fewer films available for release given the long break in production and fewer screens for showcasing.

Top stars, who could earlier attract up to Rs. 30 crore on the first day of release of big-ticket films, are unlikely to fetch these numbers impacting their fee which is based on opening day collections.

Their remuneration is expected to fall by 60-70%, according to trade analysts.

“The covid-19 pandemic has been a terrible blow to stardom. It could be another year by the time all theatres are up and running and even then, overall collections will only be 50% of pre-pandemic levels. Lucrative overseas markets are gone too," independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai pointed out. The closing down of single screens in small towns means several star-led films may not be able to penetrate as deep into the heartland or tier-two and tier-three towns, eroding their mass fan base, Pillai added.

A senior executive from a leading movie studio said that a lot of leading actors have finished projects on hand but are not scheduling them for release amid fear the films could be labelled box office disasters and they could be termed unviable. They feel that theatres running at 50% capacity and audiences, especially in metros, remaining wary of stepping out will affect their revenue prospects.

Also film stars have lost some of their shine owing to the image crisis thanks to the debate around nepotism and toxic work culture that has done the rounds since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput this June.

“The backlash around a film like Sadak 2 shows that even a digital voice can translate into actual boycott of a film," said Shailendra Singh, director at myFanPark, a platform that connects celebrities and fans virtually.

Aditi Shrivastava, co-founder of digital entertainment company Pocket Aces that unveiled a talent management division called Clout this September said covid-19 has brought to the fore the difference between the polished social media of top stars and the openness and authenticity that digital faces or influencers have always been known for.

“That difference has become even more stark. Most A-listers had their films stalled so they weren’t posting much. Brands, on the other hand, that were worried about spending too much money continued to invest in digital faces who are seen as more real people and were active throughout," Shrivastava said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lata Jha
"Lata writes about the media and entertainment industry for Mint, focusing on everything from traditional film and TV to newer areas like video and audio streaming services. She loves movies and spends a lot of her free time watching them, which makes her job both fun and a bit of a challenge. Lata tries to find and write about things in the entertainment world that most people don't notice, even though a lot of people in her country are really into movies and entertainment news often just talks about the glamorous side of things. "
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Published: 04 Dec 2020, 01:34 PM IST
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