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Karthik Subbaraj Sounds Alarm: "Tough Times for Cinema" in Tamil Film Industry

Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj has voiced deep concern over a dual crisis gripping the industry. He highlighted the plight of low-budget indie films like 'Salliyargal' not getting screens, while big-budget releases face postponements due to censor delays, as seen with Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan'. Subbaraj argues theatres are crucial for indie film survival and that unrealistic censor timelines stifle creativity and planning for major productions. He concluded with an urgent appeal for the film fraternity to unite, set aside divisions, and work together to save the art of cinema.

Key Points: Karthik Subbaraj on Crisis Facing Tamil Cinema

  • Low-budget indie films denied theatre screens
  • Big star films postponed by censor delays
  • Theatres are only revenue source for indie films
  • Strict censor timelines pressure filmmakers
2 min read

Tough times for cinema, says Karthik Subbaraj

Director Karthik Subbaraj highlights dual crisis: low-budget films denied screens & big films delayed by censor bottlenecks, urging unity to save cinema.

"Tough times for cinema!! - Karthik Subbaraj"

Chennai, Jan 8

In the wake of low-budget Tamil film 'Salliyargal' not being given enough screens and Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' being postponed as a result of not getting clearance from the Censor Board on time, one of Tamil cinema's top directors Karthik Subbaraj has expressed concern and urged everyone to set aside their differences and come together to save cinema.

Taking to his X timeline to pen his thoughts on the recent developments that have put pressure on filmmakers, the director wrote a post, titled, "Some Thoughts just as a Lover of CINEMA!!"

He began by listing all the problems that Tamil films were facing in recent times. He wrote, "No theatres for an low budget Indie film #Salliyargal. Censor delay causing postponement of a big budget big star like Vijay sir's film #JanaNayagan slated to release tomorrow. Bookings are yet to open in many centres due to issue of certificate for other big budget film #Parasakthi slated to release day after tomorrow...Tough times for cinema!!"

The ace director went on to point out, "Theatres need to be more supportive for Indie low-budget films ... Coz big satellite and OTT players are not so keen to buy Indie films leaving theatres as the only source for revenue for low-budget films.... Not giving theatres for low budget films literally means killing cinema !!"

Karthik Subbaraj went on to observe," For Big budget films... The strict timeline rules for Censors (India & Overseas ) is really hard to follow and puts lot of pressure on filmmakers' creative space during post production, especially when you are doing a big budget film with release date already announced..."

He went on to point out, "With current timeline rules for both Indian and overseas censors, the ideal time for a film to be fully completed is three months before release date which is highly impossible for many reasons. This has to be streamlined and should be made bit easy for filmmaker -- both from the board, the producers and the stars. Otherwise, postponement of big films on festival dates will eventually kill industry!!"

Finally, he ended his post with a fervent appeal. He wrote, "Please let's all together in the film fraternity keep aside the fan wars, political reasoning, personal agendas, hate campaigns and join together to do something optimistic to save the art... Save cinema."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As a film student, this hits hard. If indie films can't find theatres, where will new voices come from? Everyone only talks about box office numbers. Karthik Subbaraj is one of the few big directors who consistently speaks up for the smaller films. Respect!
R
Rohit P
The fan wars he mentioned are a big part of the problem. Online toxicity creates such a negative environment. We need to support good cinema, regardless of the star or director. His appeal for unity is much needed.
S
Sarah B
Interesting perspective. The three-month completion rule seems unrealistic for big productions. There must be a middle ground between necessary oversight and strangling creativity with bureaucracy. The industry needs a streamlined process.
V
Vikram M
While I agree with his overall sentiment, I feel producers and stars also share blame. They announce unrealistic release dates for marketing hype, then scramble to finish the film. The system is flawed, but discipline from within the industry is also lacking.
K
Kavya N
True ah? OTT laam small films-a support pannala nu sonnaanga. Appo theatre than daan last hope. Theatre owners should have a mandatory slot for indie films. Ellaam commercial pottum than nadakkum. Save cinema! ❤️🎬

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