MUMBAI: Amid fears, the first cracks in the producers' unity against the multiplexes over revenue sharing terms have appeared. Percept Picture Company (PPC) has broken away from the rest of the producers and has given in to the demand of the multiplexes. But that’s not without a clause: the company has promised to release its entire line up of films for the year 2009, in lieu of the release of 8x10 Tasveer in multiplexes on 3 April.

A source at Percept avers, "In order to avoid the fate of Eros and its film Aa Dekhen Zara, which never released in multiplexes all over, PPC has signed its entire line up of films like Tasveer, Bum Bum Bole, Yeh Hausla, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and Aashayein."

Reliable sources say Tasveer has been signed up at a revenue share of 48:52 per cent (producers/multiplexes) for the first week and 38:62 per cent for the next two weeks while all the other films have been signed up for 45:55 and 35:65 per cent revenue share terms for the first and second week respectively.

Ironically, Aa Dekhen Zara was barred from releasing in the multiplexes just two days before its release and the film was released only in single-screen theatres on 27 March. Says Eros International CEO Jyoti Deshpande, "Multiplex owners had laid down two impossible conditions before us if we intended to release our film with them. Firstly, they wanted us to enter a package deal for our forthcoming releases like Kambaqqth Ishq and Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal along with Aa Dekhen Zara. But at the same time we couldn’t go against the producers’ forum. Secondly, they also wanted us to break the strike, which we couldn’t in any case. My company will stand by the producers.”

Producers’ core committee chairperson Mukesh Bhatt preferred to remain tight-lipped despite repeated attempts to coax him. Multiplex officials too refused to comment. Trade pundits, however, inform that in a few days from now, one or two more producers may give in and sign their movies with the multiplexes.

Meanwhile, the producer lobby is a bit unnerved and angry at the turn of events but are confident that the strike will go on as scheduled with added vigour. With this the stage has been set for a rigorous confrontation between the Film and Television Producers’ Guild of India and multiplex chains in the coming days. If the tug-of-war situation on the revenue-sharing issue persists, release of films such as Shortkut, Kal Kissne Dekha, Jashn-The Music Within and an updated version of Ghajini with additional footage is likely to be affected.

Multiplex owners are, however, tight-lipped and would like to wait and watch. Says Big Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra, “I am unwilling to share anything at this point of time."

Inox Leisure COO Alok Tandon, however, is hopeful that their (multiplex owners’) talks with producers and distributors will definitely reach a consensus. “At this juncture I don’t even want to talk about content backup plans.”

Sharing his views whether Inox would screen IPL matches, Tandon says that all this would depend on the price at which the telecast rights would be offered. “So far no talks have been held and neither is there any information on who would hold the rights. Though we at Inox are not keen on buying the telecast rights exclusively, I don’t know about other players,” he opines.

Other multiplex owners are also waiting for the IPL to come out with more definite screening proposals while continuing with their rigid stance on the revenue-sharing issue. Says Fun Cinemas COO Vikas Kapur, “The terms for screening IPL matches at theatres are yet to be thrashed out. Organisers of the IPL have decided to float tenders for theatre-screening rights but we have no update on the same so far. Time will tell whether it will commercially be viable for us to screen the matches. However, I don’t think the rights would be exclusive to any of us players.”

When quizzed as to what was the alternative content plan in case of no new film being fed by producers after 4 April, Kapur said that the season anyways sees little content being released that eventually results in low business for multiplexes.

The final script on the revenue-share issue, however, is yet to be written. And who will write that we will soon know.

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Percept gets Mirah Entertainment to participate in 8X10 Tasveer