Here’s a rare sight! Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan got together in support of Bollywood producers and distributors in the ongoing multiplex row. Producers are demanding a 50-50 revenue sharing ration with multiplex owners, however multiplex owners don’t want the current ratio 40 – 48% to be changed. The meeting was attended by Yash Chopra, Mukesh Bhatt and Karan Johar (who acted as host) among many others.
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SRK also voiced his opinion and explained that the awesome twosome Khans have not come for any publicity but are just asking for “fair rights for Friday nights.”
In the meantime, fresh talks between film producers and multiplexes broke down on Tuesday with no solution in sight to a month-long crisis that has stalled new Bollywood releases. Producers in the world’s most prolific movie industry are demanding a 50 percent share in box-office revenue while multiplex owners favor a performance-linked model based on a film’s budget and star power. Marketing and distribution of new Bollywood films has been suspended since the first week of April and analysts estimate multiplex revenue losses of 2.5-3 billion rupees in the first quarter. On Tuesday, the Producers and Distributors Forum said it will devise a strategy to release films in single-screen cinemas.
Forum spokesman Mukesh Bhatt said, “I feel sad at the way things ended today, but they were stuck on vital issues, which we felt we could not compromise on. We will come out with a detailed strategy on how to release films in single screens and independent theaters.” But Bhatt said there was no possibility of any new Bollywood releases before June. A spokesman for multiplexes did not respond to calls or messages. Bummer.