Producer S Naga Vamsi, in a recent interview, blamed the industry culture and box-office trackers for the 'incorrect' perception that movie producers make lots of money at the expense of the audience by charging exorbitant ticket prices. If a movie collects Rs 300 Cr, the layman believes that the entire money goes into the pockets of the producer, while the truth is that he doesn't get to pocket even 50% of it.
"Trade analysts put out inflated figures based on what the producer tells them. Then the producer of another film inflates his figures even more. This has been going on for a long time and most people don't know the right picture," Naga Vamsi said, lamenting that the audience justify film piracy and glorify 'iBomma' Ravi because of this ignorance.
The producer's views are not entirely wrong. But it's a stretch to blame box-office trackers. The culture of making tall claims began in the 1990s, with competitive claims intensifying in the early 2000s. The only verifiable fact at that time was in how many centres a film completed its 50-day, 75-day, 100-day run. This dimension came to be manipulated slowly, with many theatres being compensated monetarily to cover rental costs after the collections dropped significantly. The fan culture (which the recent Andhra King Taluka stupidly glorifies) ensured that false prestige was mainstreamed and patronized. Whatever we are seeing today is a culmination of a decades-long process.
