Kerala   

Sale of film DVDs soaring

The city seems to have taken to watching movies in a big way, albeit on DVDs.

So, while theatres may be having many empty seats to the discomfort of its operators, there is no dearth for audience once the very same movies are released on DVDs. The brisk sale of DVDs, especially that of Malayalam and Hindi films, in stores across the city tells a tale.

“Our stores across the State are registering very good sales of movie DVDs. In fact, the sale of DVDs has outnumbered VCDs by 2:1,” said Ashwin Sasidharan, regional manager, Music World, said.

Affordable prices and early release of movies on DVDs have contributed to a great extent towards this, he said. Early release also means sales in larger volumes. Mr. Sasidharan is now eagerly awaiting the release of Pazhassi Raja, which he said, is expected next month.

Ansar M.M., store manager of the Planet-M shop on M.G. Road feels that early release of Malayalam movies on DVDs has also helped to wean potential viewers away from piracy. The movies are now being released two to four months from their withdrawal from theatres, he said.

The Jayaram-starrer “Verudhe Oru Bharya” was one of the largest sold Malayalam titles last year. Among the Hindi titles, “Kaminey” directed by Vishal Bharadwaj is the latest rage. Compared to Malayalam and Hindi movies, the release of Tamil movies on DVDs takes longer, Mr. Ansar said.

Demand for Hollywood and other language movies has also gone up. “In fact, the demand for our national and international sections is almost the same,” Mr. Sasidharan said.

Latheef, the proprietor of Blossom, selling used books and DVDs, is excited about the increased awareness among the audience about movies.

“Movies have now become more accessible and DVDs are the most easily available format around,” he said. Technology has a lot to do with it, especially the Internet. Sites like www.imdb.com and www.rottentomatoes.com have become popular for movie lovers, he said.

Mr. Ansar said with the phenomenal success of James Cameroon's movie “Avatar” in 3D format, the demand for such movies has rocketed. The DVD set of the movie “Final Destination” complete with four glasses for 3D effect is selling like hot cakes despite the relatively higher price of Rs. 599. Cartoon movies are also much in demand.

Mr. Ansar, however, feels that the demand for world movies is mostly restricted to professionals in the movie world. Mr. Latheef, however, begs to differ.

He feels that unlike a decade ago, names of stalwarts like Kurosawa and Bergman have become household names. “Earlier, Kurosawa's master piece ‘Seven Samurai' was something restricted to intellectuals. But now it's a movie to be seen if you have a semblance of interest in movies,” he said.

M.P. Praveen

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