One Size Doesnt Fit All - The Small Films of 2015

George Clooney said this to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, organizers of the Golden Globe Awards while receiving the Cecil D Mille Award, “Thank you for keeping small films alive. Big ones do just fine. It’s the small ones that need an audience.”

Clooney hit the nail on its head. In the West, and here in India, small films find it nearly impossible to find a release date, a date where they get adequate screen space to exhibit their film. When a film does not get adequate theaters, then a film doesn’t get a fair chance to be seen and noticed. Usually, smaller films do not have massive promotions and marketing budgets, so a release date with some room to breathe becomes crucial to their fate.

2015 will in fact, be more than a tough year, for small films. Consider the list. Akshay Kumar has four releases this year- Baby, Gabbar, Singh is Bling and Brothers. Ranbir Kapoor will also be seen in four films- Roy, Bombay Velvet, Jagga Jasoos and Tamasha. Star studded ensemble flicks Dil Dhadhakne Do & Bajirao Mastani also release this year. SRK will be seen in Fan, and Salman Khan will be seen in Bajrangi Bhaijaan & Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. Saif will be seen in Phantom. And then are Shamitabh, Wazir & Piku from Amitabh Bachchan. Emraan Hashmi will be seen in Mr X and Hamari Adhuri Kahaani opposite Vidya Balan. I count 18 Fridays gone to the big boys already, if not more!

Yet amidst this crowd of promising big flicks, there are a few small ones that hold potential to entertain, and to fetch in revenues at a slow but certain pace. I won’t refer to an Arshad Warsi film, a Ritesh Deshmukh film or a Sunny Leone film here as a small film- these actors ensure interest despite being rarely seen stars.
There are others teeny-weeny celluloid stories, trying to get a fix on a Friday window to release, some of them without any stars and riding on new concepts. But as ‘Queen’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Mardaani’ proved last year, the odd one out might be the true winner and a great viewing experience All 3 films got studio backing and sufficient publicity before release. Here are films that are even smaller than this- no stars, no studios and no hype. Please note, I don’t vouch for all of them being qualitative. But some might hold promise. .

In January, there’s ‘Rahasya’, made by director Manish Gupta. A filmmaker who has been noted for this subjects (Hostel & the Stoneman Murders), but has never quite delivered a box office success; he brings a murder mystery this time. It’s a whodunit about a father suspected of killing his daughter, with strong Arushi murder case over tones- despite denials. With Kay Kay Menon, Ashish Vidyarthi and Ashish Vidyarthi, the film definitely holds great potential. Meghna Gulzar, titled ‘Nyyoda’, will present a similar story. Meghna has gone to great lengths to keep her film under wraps- a take on the police investigation of the Arushi Murder case. It features Irrfan Khan, reason enough to watch the film once!

January will also bring ‘Khamoshiyan’- no stars, a melodious soundtrack and a scary story about trapped souls. With an enticing leading lady, and the classic Bhatt camp strategy of producing sleek content in a limited budget, this film holds promise. Unfortunately, both ‘Rahasya’ and ‘Khamoshiyan’ release on the same date- January 30. This will divide audiences somewhat.

In March, there are three small films that I won’t be missing. ‘Margarita with a Straw’- directed by Shonali Bose, won rave reviews at international film festivals. Kalki’s performance as a patient suffering from cerebral palsy has won her awards abroad. She and Revathy Menon act in this sensitive story about a young girl suffering from palsy and her latent desires. Relief for director Shonali Bose comes in the fact that Viacom 18 is backing this film. Else, it would perhaps not release in Indian theaters at all. Viacom also presents ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ in March- a comic drama about religious identity. This film stars veteran performers-Annu Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah & Paresh Rawal- in key roles. Then there’s Prawal Raman’s ‘Main Aur Charles’, starring Randeep Hooda. This biopic blends two under rated talents- Raman & Hooda in an intriguing story.

The summer of 2015 will have two established directors take divergent turns on the big screen. Madhur Bhandarkar, whose last release ‘Heroine’ was panned, returns with ‘Calendar Girls’- a film with no stars but quite a few hot girls playing models. His films do not make for refined viewing always, but with a woman centric plot at its heart, Madhur is in his comfort zone with this film. Then there’s Kunal Kohli, who will act in, and co direct ‘Phir Se’- a story about life after divorce. Both seem to be going against the star system with these films. And both will be watched with curiosity.

Although their release dates aren’t yet fixed, a few more small films merit mention here. Onir’s first film that does not deal with alternate sexuality, ‘Shab’, will mark Bengali actress Arpita Pal’s debut in Bollywood. The film co-stars Raveena Tandon. Then there’s the first co production between Hollywood based Relativity Media & Excel Entertainment- Three Stories. A comedy about life in Mumbai’s chawls, it features Sharman Joshi & Pulkit Samrat. Of course, we are still waiting to hear from the Phantom films stable on their line up of low cost, high cinema flicks of the year.

It’s entirely possible that some small films with big ideas are not part of this piece. That is not a conscious exclusion on my part. I attempt to highlight the core argument here- that a film simply cannot be judged by its size. Quite a few of these small ones might surprise us pleasantly. Closer to their release, some might get adopted by film studios. Hopefully, theatre spaces & allied factors like marketing budgets will not determine their fates even before they see light of day.