Bollywood Strike May End This Week

By: Mufsin Mahbub
It looks like show time again, folks! After a lull five weeks of no entertainment, its back to movies, popcorn, samosa and coke this Friday onwards. Sure, there was 'Dashavtar' and 'Meri Padosan' as a few releases, but the less said the better.
The Hindi film industry is going through harsh times. Everyone's talking about recession (some people say it's going to get worse). On the other hand, piracy is getting wild and stronger by the day, spreading its business everywhere.
Worse, the movie-going habit has taken a complete backseat and it will take a real big film or a film with a powerful word of mouth to get audiences back to theatres. Which film will that be?
The corporates are feeling the heat and the 'Pink Slip' syndrome has caught up in Bollywood. It may be possible that several employees in corporate houses have been laid off from their services ever since this almost five-week strike. A film producer may not earn as much as much as an employee of a corporate house, who may've just walked in with an MBA degree, with a laptop on their shoulder.
Everyone's wondering, who'll make the first move - producers/distributors or multiplexes? Who'll call the truce? The producers/distributors are sticking to their terms, so are the theaters. Both need each other, but like a major distributor may say, they shouldn't stop the dialogue between themselves.
After a crucial meeting last Tuesday, when the two sides did not arrive at an agreement, there has been no official chat between them. A few people have been talking in their personal aptitude, but the leaders need to sort things out as soon as possible. The upcoming movie '99' starring Kunal Khemu and Soha Ali Khan is being released this week as a fresh start of Bollywood coming back from the strike.
Tell us what you think. Do you believe that an agreement may be approached so that Bollywood movies may be back in theaters? Give us your thoughts on it.