 "Siddharth Roy Kapoor")
He is the man of the moment as Siddharth Roy Kapur takes charge as managing director of the Walt Disney Company India from 1 January. Having joined UTV in 2005, he has since then handled roles across revenues, marketing, creative and syndication functions and was until his elevation the MD of Disney UTV's motion pictures business.
The studio which has raked in close to Rs 570 crore at the box this year with blockbuster hits like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. Roy Kapur talks about what goes into producing successful movies in conversation with Urvi Malvania. Excerpts.
It's been a fabulous year for Disney UTV. What is the business model Disney UTV Studios follows?
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Yes it has been a really great year overall. It has been one of those years once again where we have tried to mix up films that are big blockbuster tentpole cinema with independent work from new directors with new talent in it. From a Chennai Express and a Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to a Kai Po Che, ABCD, Ship of Thseus, Shahid and The Lunchbox.
Its been a really interesting year in terms of the type of cinema we have been able to bring to the audiences and the great way in which each of these have been accepted so warmly by them. It has been a watershed year.
We have always followed a model of focusing strongly first on the creative credentials of the project and then finding a commercial framework that suits us.
Our model is that of a fully integrated studio from creative development all the way to distribution, and this model has helped us to nurture and support a wide variety of movie across multiple genres and scales, from Chennai Express, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Race 2 to Kai Po Che, The Lunchbox and Ship of Theseus.
What is the most important aspect you look at before green lighting a project?
I think first thing is that it has to be entertaining. When I say entertaining, its just a broad definition. It doesn’t mean masala entertainment. That is not what I am referring to. Its got to be engaging and therefore entertaining. We found that when that is the basis on which we greenlight a film, we rarely go wrong there.
That is the first consideration. Then it boils down to of course the cast and crew associated with the movie, the sort of budgets we are looking etc. But if you ask me the first thing we look at, I think it would be the entertainment and the engagement quotient of the film.
Even for the indie movies, we look at the content first. If we find it entertaining and/or engaging, only then w go ahead with it.
For instance, Shahid was a movie where you wanted to know what happened with this person, what life he led, the experiences that he went through and it tells you so much about the society in which we live in a manner hat doesnt really let you take your eyes off the screen. So, that really for us is entertainment.
We rarely react to just a concept and make a film. We may react to it saying its a great concept now lets see a screenplay or lets a script based on that, because to translate an idea into a screenplay is a long process. It is a process that can go completely right or completely wrong. So we react to an idea only to the extent of saying, 'Great! Now lets see a screenplay.”
2013 saw a lot of big production houses backing indie projects and small films. You think the trend is here to stay?
Actually, if you see, speaking for ourselves, this is something we have always done. Right from the days of Khosla ka Ghosla, we have backed cinema that has not been seen as traditionally mainstream cinema.
Every year, if we have had a blockbusters film, we have had a balance of films that are pushing the envelope quite a bit. So from a Dev D to a Wednesday to an Udaan to a Welcome to Sajjanpur to a No one Killed Jessica, we have been doing this. So for us, it is not a recent phenomenom. But yes, in case of certain production houses that have been doing more mainstream cinema, some of them are looking at doing this too.
I think it is a trend that is here to stay. If a project is commercially viable and gives you a lot of brand value, its something a lot of people would like to be associated with. I think the respect and appreciation that you get from the trade, the industry and the critics is quote immense.
Physical sales of music are going down. You think that is a factor to worry about?
I think music is a very integral part of the film industry. There is no doubt about that. Movies are usually marketed on the strength of the music since it is the only tangible way to develop an emotional connection between the audience and the film before its release.
I don’t' see that changing, but physical sales are dwindling and digital is the way forward. There are lots of other avenues open to you as well like television rights, events rights, performance rights, clip rights and lots of other rights for you to exploit when it comes to music.
The contribution of music to the revenue a film makes is going down and I don't see that changing. Having said that, its contribution to the success of the movie is still as much. In terms of revenue, yes its contribution has gone down.
What steps does Disney UTV take as a studio to ensure returns on investment?
Actually speaking, there are lots of opportunities to do so. For a movie that does not have a big actor or director associated with it, it is a bit difficult to de-risk in advance. In case of a big film, you can pre-sell your satellite rights, theatrical rights and overseas rights, and you could be in a place before the release of the film where you are not completely dependent on the fate of the film at the box office. With a smaller film, you can't do that. In case of a small film, that is a risk you take knowing that you are going with the courage of your conviction and then you sink or swim with that.
The overseas box office seems to have accepted Bollywood films better this year. You thoughts?
It is a really interesting trend overseas that the top five movies have contributed to almost 50% of the the total box office revenue overseas (for Bollywood). When you look at the total nu7mber of movies released, that is a staggering statistic.
What it basically means is that audiences there are willing to come out and watch the big tentpole films or films that get great word of mouth and get loved and accepted by the audiences. They are just choosing not to come out for the other ones. Those they prefer to watch on DVD or television as and when or watch it online. But the theater going has became very restricted to the films that they are going to go out and watch.
That is a trend in fact that you are seeing more and more in India as well. The big movies, and I don't mean it terms of budget, but in terms of success, are doing bigger and bigger in terms of business, but the movies that don't (do well) can fall of the cliff completely. It is certainly survival of the fittest when it comes to cinema nowadays and it shows that a good movie will run, but a bad movie even if it has got a star in it, might not go beyond Saturday (on the opening weekend).
This could also be because of the number of movies releasing and the fact that the average lifetime of a movie at the box office has reduced?
A. Also, the scale of the release of movies these days has reduced the overall lifetime of a movie (at the box office). Because you are releasing so widely and the growth of social media and instant feedback available today, all the hype that a producer or studio creates around the movie today will only last you till, like I said sometimes on Saturday.
If it clicks, then it will do well, but if the social media and television feedback is negative, then the movie may not even survive the weekend as we have seen it happen with a couple of big movies this year as well.
Do you think the co-production model is here to stay since making a movie is a very expensive affair these days?
We follow a model where at the crux of it, we want to make great movies. It could be through solo production, through acquisition or through co-production.
Co-investment however I think is different from co-production. Many a times a co-production happens between a studio that is going to fund the film and market and distribute it and maybe a production house that will actually produce the film.
That's how the responsibilities are divided. When you are doing a co-production with an actor of course it means that there is a certain fee and there is a backend on the film. Its not necessarily a co-investment. That's not a model we really follow. Once we want to make a film, we fund it completely ourselves.
What can we expect from Disney UTV Studios in 2014?
We shall be announcing the slate sometime soon. But it will suffice to say that we intend to continue having a healthy mix of big blockbuster movies and smaller films. The number of films will be the same, approximately 12, give or take 1. In the south too, we shall have 4 to 5 movies releasing next year.
We are quite focused on the Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam cinemas. Those are markets we have got to learn (about) and understand much better over the years and we have done some really great movies there now. So we are quite focused on those markets.
