BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

Facebook posts and tweets are directly proportional to the prospect of a movie? There was this time when movie releases could be easily counted. From producers to distributors to exhibitors, everybody made money. Now, the online-social media has taken the tradition of audience response of a movie by reviewing them through tweets and posts, or even blogs at times. The protocol before watching a movie in the theater goes through this process of checking out 1st half over-seas review tweets from your film buff friend living abroad, critics you've subscribed and ratings from a list of websites. If a film's first hand impression has to transcend all of this, Then, it has to be some out of the blue, unanimously accepted, likable movie with your only favorite actors in it. 

Industry is already ominous with no concrete blockbusters. Multiplexes, thirittu VCD and exclusive websites providing pirated versions of the brand new films have taken a toll on the business by a larger margin. Bala's Sethu and Venkat Prabhu's Chennai-28 are classic examples of a movie getting a better run at box office by positive word of mouth. People to the maximum rely on their relatives, friends and neighbors to know about a movie. Now the authenticity of the reviews and at the rate, at which it spreads, literally stops people from visiting the cinema halls. Liking a film or not is extremely subjective. Film appreciation is more or less an art. It has become a trend to review movies just to get likes. Everybody is a film critic now, very easily spreading their own liking for a movie through social networking accounts. If this continues, then there will be a time when everybody will include, "I'm a film critic' in their curriculum vitae. 

With dedicated pages and funny memes brutalizing a film, film goers are bifurcated by fans and fanatics. It becomes harder for certain sections of the society to decide on what movie to watch. When real run for movies of today are just the first three days, the family audience who contribute to the over-all collections are forgotten. The immediate responses for films are influenced by anti-fans and half baked reviews. Films can never be gauged. It isn't a quarterly exam result that can be quantified based on an individual or a group of people. 

The blatant truth on the other side is, with films like Yaamiruka Bayamey and Jigarthanda, the initial responses were overwhelmingly positive and people thronged the theaters also because of the tweets and posts. When producers can know how their films are faring by just going online and glancing at the reviews, they should also go with the fatal flaw the advancements provide. Though the traditions of social media pump cost-effective promotion, it also does rate the movie to the fullest and the fastest. Audience never compromise for the movie they expect, investing time, energy and money. This whole technological innovation is a gift as well a curse.    

For instance, Suriya's recent movie got judged by a disastrous turn out of negative reviews. There are people out there who will like or even patronize the movie.  With all the unnecessary publicity that surrounds a movie, people sometimes prefer to stop themselves from experiencing a movie. It has become a daily routine for casual goers and hardcore film buffs on either appreciating a film or shunning it to a bin. Your status can ruin a film or send two extra people to the theater. So be responsible!