We should be happy and proud that our industry is growing, says Punjabi film producer Manmord Sidhu

Over the years, clashes over release dates of films have hit the headlines from time to time. However, the recent spat between two Punjabi-language films, Sher Bagga (2022) and Television (2022), is perhaps the first time this issue has come to the fore in the Punjabi industry.

Sher Bagga, starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa, clashed with the Kulwinder Billa-Mandy Takhar film Television at the box office, as both were released on 24 June. This led Saga Studios, which produced Television, to hit out at the allegedly unfair distribution practices in the industry.

Manmord Sidhu, founder and director of White Hill Studios, one of the prominent studios for production and distribution of Punjabi films, spoke exclusively to Cinestaan.com about the controversy.

Starting out as a line production company, White Hill Studios expanded to become a film production and distribution company in 2012. The banner's first feature film, Jatt & Juliet (2012), became a massive hit.

With a degree in filmmaking from Vancouver Film School in Canada, Sidhu has been at the helm of several Punjabi blockbuster films and the studio is the overseas distributor of Sher Bagga, which was originally scheduled to be released on 10 June.

Laying out the ground for the discussion, Sidhu said, “In the past two years, due to the pandemic, producers have been unable to release their films. Everyone wants to release their film on time and everyone’s movie is important for them, but there are limited weeks for release.

“My film, Shareek 2 (2022), was scheduled for 24 June and Sher Bagga was scheduled for 10 June, but due to the sudden death of Sidhu Moosewala, we had to shift the dates. [Shareek 2] is now being released on 8 July. On that day, Sargun Mehta and Gurnam Bhullar’s film [Sohreyan Da Pind Aa Gaya] is also coming out. What can I do?"

Addressing the controversy over release dates and slots, he said, “This is nothing new. We need to stop blaming one another. If you feel your film is not performing, put your film elsewhere, there is no problem. But there are only those many weeks to release our films.

"Moreover, exhibitors want to make money as well. If they give unequal slots to one film over the other on Saturday and Sunday, it can even get reversed depending on footfalls. In case there is no audience, the number of shows gets reduced. It’s pure business.”

Sidhu said there have also been instances in the past when two films were released on the same day and both went on to become successful.

Speaking about the rapid changes that have taken place in the Punjabi industry, he said, “The industry has grown now and we cannot blame others if a film does not do well. Unfortunately, there are not enough dates because once winter sets in, audiences do not venture out to watch films. So we have to release films only in the summer. Now how many can you release in 24 weeks? And because of the pandemic, there are so many films that are ready and that’s why they are being released together.

“There were few films being released earlier and one film would get six to eight weeks [in theatres]. Now we hardly get two weeks. On the other hand, Punjabi audiences are going to cinemas and business has been increasing.”

He said that in terms of budget as well as market share, there has been steady growth in the Punjabi industry. Film budgets have gone to Rs10–15 crore from Rs2–2.5 crore while the box-office size has grown to Rs50–60 crore. The coming of OTT platforms has provided a further boost for producers, who now have other avenues to sell their films.

In the end, Sidhu said, the content speaks for itself. No matter what slot is given to a film, it will work only if the content is good,

“Audiences go to watch films where there is good content," he said. "If the content is not good, both films [which are released on the same day] do not do business. Ten years ago, there were four films being made in Punjabi. Today, if there are 40–70 films, there are only so many weeks, so this problem will arise.

"We should be happy and proud that our industry is growing. If 200 films are produced, we should hope they all do well. We should concentrate on the content and deliver the right content to audiences. The audience decides from the trailer whether it wants to watch a film, so we should deliver good content. That’s very important for producers now.”

He also pointed out that in any film industry, only about 20% films make money. "This was true in older times as well, whether Hollywood or any industry," he said. "The other 80% can say my film was killed by the distributor, or the director or actor did not support me, [but] this is all talk. If you have good content and know the work and the business, your film will work and you will be happy.

"Without knowledge [of the industry], it is a gamble. So the producer’s job is huge, from scripting to promotions. It’s like the centrepiece in the wheel of a bicycle that holds it together, that’s the producer.”