The South Indian film industry, according to actor Richa Chadha, has ‘got their math right’ in terms of box office numbers and ticket prices. Richa slammed the Hindi film industry’s “greedy film distributors” in a new interview, claiming that their high ticket prices lead to a drop in theatre attendance. Even if the film is a hit, the actor added, ticket prices in the South Indian film industry are kept within a reasonable range.
Several films from the South Indian film industry were released in theatres and did well at the box office. RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli, grossed Rs 246 crore in four weeks at the box office. Within 16 days of its release, the film had surpassed the $1 billion mark worldwide. KGF Chapter 2, directed by Prashanth Neel, grossed 134.50 crore on its first day and went on to gross over 1000 crore.
“They’ve got their math right in terms of numbers and ticket prices,” Richa said in an interview with Indian Express. Because a very dedicated fan club of a south megastar ventures out and watches the film, A Master opens to such large audiences. Unlike the Hindi film industry and its greedy distributors, they keep the ticket price between $100 and $400 even if the film is a hit. However, footfall will decrease here due to a ticket price of more than $400. Food and beverage will be paid for by the audience. Naturally, the film industry will suffer. It all comes down to distribution.”
“I don’t see that happening here, unless you’re forced to,” Richa said of the need to control ticket pricing in Hindi films. Recently, a film was released with its leads holding their noses in the air, which I’m sure will be available on OTT soon. And when the first day’s collection arrived, it was less than a third of the hero’s charges. How will your math work out if this happens? These are the real questions to ask and then work from. If cinema is to survive, the larger stakeholders in the industry should shoulder the burden.”
Meanwhile, Richa is working on several projects, including Fukrey 3. Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, and Varun Sharma also star in the film. The film is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment and directed by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba. She’s also working on the fourth season of Inside Edge, as well as the second seasons of Candy and The Great Indian Murder.
