Distributors make producers’ ‘Dimaag Kharaab’

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 17:The producer and director of the film ‘Dimaag Kharaab’, which was released in local cinemas recently, have warned that they will halt screening of the film in local theatres, citing inequality in the number of shows offered to them and revenue distribution.

Fed up by the injustice meted out against their film by the distributors, producer Raunak Bikram Kandel and director Nischal Basnet issued a press statement demanding fair treatment to local Nepali films.  

  In the press statement, they stressed that unless Nepali films are granted an equal number of screenings and an equitable share of revenue compared to foreign films, they may suspend the film’s screening in Nepal. 

They complained that the theatres were not providing enough shows and insisted on equal screenings for Nepali films compared to foreign ones.

“The current discrepancy where foreign films receive 10 show times while ‘Dimaag Kharaab’ is limited to three to four show times. The decision to halt screenings was decided as a reaction to theatres which do not give priority to Nepali movies,” read the press statement. 

Concerning revenue distribution, it was mentioned in the statement that producers typically receive 50 per cent of the income in the first and second weeks, with distributors taking the remaining 50 per cent after deductions. In the third week, the producer's share decreases to 35 per cent. They argued that despite increasing occupancy due to positive word-of-mouth, the number of show times was diminishing for their film Dimaag Kharaab. 

Local theatres have been screening the film since November 10. Many filmmakers, such as Dipendra K Khanal, Dinesh Raut, Max Dipesh Khatri, Mohan Rai, Rabindra Singh Baniya, and others, have supported the decision of the ‘Dimaag Kharaab’ team and have urged for equal show distribution for Nepali films, similar to the distribution allocated to foreign films.

Currently, Bollywood film ‘Tiger 3’, Nepali film ‘Dimaag Kharaab’ and Hollywood film ‘The Marvels are being released in Nepali cinema halls. Salman Khan’s film ‘Tiger 3 is receiving high show times in the local cinema theatres while Nepali film ‘Dimaag Kharaab’ is limited to three to four shows in the halls.