[Reader-list] Celluloid and Compact Disks in Punjab

[daljit ami]

Hello  every body
Meeting Amarjot Bhasin, Executive Producer, Choice turn out to be very god interaction in order to understand the Compact Disk trend in Punjab. Choice is a Ludhiana based company which deals with production and whole sale distribution of Audio and Videos. Amarjot has the experience of marketing and production. He was able to comment on the over all trend, its audience and production stakes. 
With the introduction of Compact Disk in market films became assessable for those who don’t afford to go to theatre and who don’t have their own Video Cassette players. In the beginning when manufacturing was foreign based, Malaysia and Singapore the manufacturing cost of Compact Disk used to sixty to seventy rupees with additions of transportation, commissions and profit the MRP used to be between 400 to 500 rupees. When the manufacturing started in India the whole cost and prices collapsed like any thing, Delhi based production costs 20-25 rupees and MRP happens to be 100 to 150. The local manufacturing contributed to further reduction in prices. With manufacturing costs decreased to 15-16 the MRP became 55 to 65 per compact disk. Now the manufacturing cost is Rs. 8/- which gives lower MRP i.e. Rs. 35/-. 
The phenomenon of media (CD) prices is not isolated from the prices of VCD Player. Branded VCD Player by any company used to cost above six thousand rupees. Local made VCD players made the prices crash down to fifteen to twenty hundred. Now the prices of VCD players are 1000 to 1200 rupees. 
This crash in prices created new buyers for the unfamiliar item. Those who were fed up with monotonous television programming and do not have the option of multi channel television network or theatre became the automatic buyer. This enable buyer and experiment in short film were perfect in timing with each other. Earlier VCD of films made on celluloid was available in the market, video music was there but local made film to be circulated on new medium turn out to be new entry.
Amarjot told that with the successful experiment of two short films the market become glutted within no time. Many people tried their hand on the film as the lower production costs enabled them to produce. Amarjot watched this phenomenon very closely and he feels that these films were of comprehensively low quality but they utilised the vacuum in the market. He found that it was really difficult to connect with the silly characters. The sudden demand made available saleable and give the impression of desirability. Every company produced or purchased from the producers to meet the demand. The companies purchased the films in the range of one lakh to seven lakhs. This trend was short lived and crashed VCD player’s way. Amarjot made it a point that many producer invested money for profit but very soon they found no buyer. He shares that some producers very ready to give films without any money they just wanted companies to release these films under their banners and pay according to sale. This phenomenon was mainly rural based and buyer got fed up with monotony very soon. Market reached the saturation point. 
Poorly made ‘social’ films were no more in demand, comedy replaced. Market enabled producers were no more in demand. Now it was time for established comedians to try their hand. Amarjot produced four comedy films with established comedians, Jaspal Bhatti as one of them. The production cost of these films in high due to star cast. These cost six lakh to sixteen lakh depending upon the cast. The comedy trend is not rural or area specific it is pan Punjab trend reaching rural and urban audience.
Amarjot support his argument about the poor quality of films with whom the trend started by the fact that many company were not ready to produce this sub standard stuff under their ‘prestigious banners’ so they floated new companies for such productions. Choice as mother company floated ‘Ting Ling’, ‘Desi Tunes’ and ‘Amrit Sagar’ for different kind of productions. Plasma started Grind music, Velocity Records started Music Velocity, Speed started B-line and Music waves started 4sure Music. These new companies were floated to release region or genre specific productions but very soon it turn out to be division of work and tax saving exercise.
Regards,
Daljit Ami
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