| Something
Something to be rechristened –
just for money? |
July
24, 2006 |
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No
one would have forgotten all the hue and
cry that was made by a few self-proclaimed
Tamil loyalists when the movie ‘MUMBAI
EXPRESS’ was released. |
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The reason they gave was the English
origin of the title which they considered
inappropriate for any Tamil movie,
well all that died down, all thanks
to the fact that the movie in question
failed to cause any waves in the theatres.
All producers and directors overlooked
this minor uprising and went their
way naming their movies in the way
and language they deemed right. Well,
if the Tamil loyalists had tried to
threaten the filmmakers into adopting
Tamil names then they were found to
be unequal to the task. The pressure
tactics failed as miserably as MUMBAI
EXPRESS. |
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Now
the state government has tried a new tactic
and that seems to be working spectacularly
well. The government has lured producers
into naming their films in pure Tamil by
announcing an exemption in entertainment
tax for movies named in Tamil. This would
run into nearly 15-20% of the revenue recovery
of a movie. Needless to say the financial
bait has worked and filmmakers who have
ready to release films with non Tamil names
are racing against time to find out an appropriate
Tamil replacement. |
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Jayam Ravi starrer “Something
Something Unakkum Enakkum” (proposed
to be “Edo Edo Unakkum Enakkum”)
and producer Jagadish’s “By2”
have already announced that there
will be a change of title. Other films
under production such as Lemon, Auto,
Bodyguard, Godfather and Tip Top are
also contemplating a change of title.
Big budget films have not been able
to break the ice at the box office
in 2006 and this exemption certainly
given the producers a lot to smile
about, a fact that is evident from
the press release by the Producers’
Council thanking the Chief Minister
for the move. |
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A
clever move it is, because it seems to have
satisfied everyone, the producers and Tamil
loyalists. Though our Chief Minister is
no longer actively into movies, he still
seems to know what the producer wants. |
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