Wajid Ali Hashmi
Duration: 00:16:14; Volume: 0.162; Words per Minute: 60.758
Pankaj: You’ve been running Kumar Talkies for 25 years ... (break in interview, some exchange between Pankaj, Mukul and Satheesh), you’ve traveled to cities, so what is the diffence in running a cinema in big city compared to small city? What are the problems?
Mr. Wajid Ali Hashmi
test again
test to check edits
Hashmi: In Big cities the investment in a cinema is huge, 1 to 25 crores and accordingly the amenities are provided … in small places this is not possible as the returns are meager. But the experience of watching / enjoying a film is the same … a bit more in big cities. In small places we cannot create the same atmosphere of a good cinema hall. In big cities the minute you enter you get the atmosphere of a good cinema hall. In small places there are lack of amenities, its hot, bad seating, the print received here are not in good conditions, there are breaks in the print … so the audience doesn’t overall like this. But for kids till 16yrs who cannot leave town there is no choice. As you can see, here it’s peole of this age only who come.
Operational difficulties
Hashmi: In Big cities the investment in a cinema is huge, 1 to 25 crores and accordingly the amenities are provided … in small places this is not possible as the returns are meager. But the experience of watching / enjoying a film is the same … a bit more in big cities. In small places we cannot create the same atmosphere of a good cinema hall. In big cities the minute you enter you get the atmosphere of a good cinema hall. In small places there are lack of amenities, its hot, bad seating, the print received here are not in good conditions, there are breaks in the print … so the audience doesn’t overall like this. But for kids till 16yrs who cannot leave town there is no choice. As you can see, here it’s peole of this age only who come.
Film Disribution
Pankaj: what re the problems you face in running Kumar Talkies?
Hashmi: Lots of them, lots … firstly when I took over from Rishi Kumar, I saw to it that I don’t take a penny from him to run this cinema … I treated it as my own. He was fed up, disappointed with this place and frustrated too. He had invested a lot of money. This was the moral sense which prevailed on me, not to ask him for money. The staff didn’t cooperate with me, others too didn’t help, lack of money … the film bookers too cheated us a lot. I played a trick and they left/cleared my way. This trade is corrupted from top to bottom … Distributors, exhibitors all … I was able to tolerate that, may be Javed will not be ale to. He doesn’t have that capacity.
Operational difficulties
Film Distribution
Javed
Pankaj: What are the day to day problems, ‘cos you said expenses are increasing, revenues are little, so the profit margin is too small …
Hashmi: Expenses are becoming larger and larger and profit is reducing. Expenses are: movie rent, staff salaries, increase in electricity rates, expensive diesel, at times there are 24 hours power cuts …
Pankaj: Running a cinema does it make business sense?
Hashmi: Its not profitable at all, even then by hook or by crook we are running it somehow.
Pankaj: I think the entertainment tax is a problem?
Hashmi: No, its not, ‘cos we collect it from people, we don’t have any investment in it … but yes, if it was reduced then we can reduce cinema rates too …
Entertainment Tax
pankaj ng
pankaj testing
Kalpi: no industry
Pankaj: I see a lot of economic decline in kalpi town too … is decline of town correlated to decline of Kumar talkies and how?
Hashmi: Mandi has finished, unemployment is rampant, people are becoming paupers. First they will spend on their food, clothing, education, then they will spend on cinema. They have TV’s at home, you can buy one fro Rs 1200 - 2500. People do not have time to come here and face goons and ladies have to listen to catcalls. What’s the point in wasting Rs 50-100. Even in big towns, why would one like to go, especially when you have all amenities at home.
Advent of Television
Pankaj: You have been staying here … you were born here, and last 25 years you’ve been running this cinema, what will happen to it 20 years from now …?
Hashmi: The site is a bad one … (some proverb in Urdu) so somebody 2 Kms from here thinks 10 times before coming here. Even if it was to be on a different location, it will not run, this is my prediction, my conviction, my firm belief …The cinema will drag itself, the way its doing now and nobody in his right mind will come and invest capital here. Cinema is a big problem, its not a joke! Setting up a cinema! Nobody in Kalpi has the capacity to set up one. Why will an outsider make a mistake, one outsider has made a mistake already. If same conditions persisit, forget 20 years, even 10 will be difficult.
Kumar Talkies: future
Hashmi's prediction, proved to be true, the cinema shut down sometime in 2004. Mr. Hashmi died in Jan' 2013.
Panakj: What will happen to this structure?
Hashmi: Only God knows? In present conditions difficult. I’ve managed somehow, ‘cos I have a parallel business now. One film I make loss, I wait for some big festival hoping I’ll be able to make money … for how long can one wait for such days! There has to be an average income. In my weaving business, I’m progressing day by day. Here even after making investments, I cannot improve business.
Pankaj: Yes, its an absolute economic failure, I agree with you, but such a film, should it be made on cinema and Kalpi?
Hashmi: yes, it’s a new subject for people. People who have the guts (knowledge) they’ll appreciate not others.Over here people will not like it, ‘cos they have no mind to appreciate, for them it’s a newsreel…. Please stop, ok thank you.
Pankaj: Cut It
Newsreel
16mm documentary film production
Satheesh’s (the sound recordist) annnouncement
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