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MUMBAI:
Kalanithi Maran's next big plan is movies. Sun Pictures, the
movie arm of Sun TV Network, plans to produce 10 films a year
in Tamil language as a serious effort to reduce pressure on
cost of acquisition of movie rights for its TV channels.
After
initially experimenting in Tamil, Sun will produce in the
three other southern languages where it runs a clutch of channels.
Sun's
focus will be on in-house production of small-to-medium budget
and script-driven movies. "Sun will not get into mega
budget movies since it does not find the risk-return profile
of the business suitable," a source close to the company
said.
The
extensive presence of Sun in TV and radio segments provides
cross-promotion and monetisation opportunities. Sun will also
be able to utilise its cash balance of Rs 4.3 billion (figure
till end of FY 2008).
Sun's
strategy finds support among analysts as Tamil movies make
about 25 per cent of their total revenues from ancillary streams
such as TV telecast and radio.
Sun
can also effectively use its media platforms to promote the
movies. Industry estimates put advertising and promotion as
20 per cent of a movie's release cost.
Sun
Pictures has already announced it would be distributing films
like Atlantic Cinema’s ‘Kadhalil Vizhundhaen’,
Sundar C’s ‘Thee’, Jeeva’s
‘Thenavattu’, ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi’
and Narain-starrer ‘Pookkada Ravi’.
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