Special Correspondent

Look at content beyond soap operas, reality shows: Ronnie Screwvala

Governor K. Rosaiah on Thursday launched the third FICCI Media Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC) with a call to raise the quality of south Indian films to world standards.

Inaugurating the FICCI MEBC 2011 on the theme ‘Embracing the Digital World,' Mr. Rosaiah said south Indian films, which accounted for over half of the total films produced and approximately 50 per cent of the total screens in the country, had always occupied a place of pride in Indian cinema.

“The cinema of the south is rooted in the pioneering work of cinematic greats whose presence and body of work have lit up Indian cinema on the global radar,” he said.

The industry was also ahead on digitisation curve with 40 per cent of the film prints being digital.

The Governor called for a joint and concerted effort at all spheres to make the south Indian film industry number one on a par with international standards.

He also urged Tamil producers of low-budget films to promote their releases through co-branding or sponsored trailers that could offset marketing costs.

The Governor released the FICCI-Deloitte Report that has mapped the emerging trends of the media and entertainment industry in the south.

Actor Kamal Haasan, chairman of the FICCI MEBC conclave said that the phrase digital film making had become digital movie making.

“Digitisation is a versatile medium and it is going to facilitate monetisation,” he said. The actor later felicitated filmmaker K. Balachander.

Ronnie Screwvala, Chairman, UTV Group, in his special address said the industry needed to look at content much beyond soap operas and reality shows.

“First and foremost we need to understand our consumer. Young India wants the content to be interactive and personalised. The content they want is different than what exists in the linear form.”

S.A. Chandrasekharan, president of the Tamil Film Producers Council appealed to the FICCI forum to help address the concerns of low-budget film makers in finding buyers in prominent media and entertainment houses.

C. Kalyan, president, South Indian Film Chamber, called for a mechanism to support young and talented filmmakers who were struggling to get their films released in theatres.

Rajiv Kumar, FICCI Secretary General, said digitisation held the key to the future and presented huge opportunities for job creation in the media and entertainment sector. FICCI in collaboration with National Skills Development Corporation was mapping industry-wise competencies and conducting industry wise surveys to develop skills needed for the media sector.

M. Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, FICCI-TNSC and P. Murari, Advisor to FICCI president, participated. Over 500 delegates across the Indian media and entertainment industry verticals are attending the two-day conclave. click here

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