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I vividly remember sitting on the edge of my bed, a bit too small for my feet to touch the ground. My elder brother and I had our eyes glued to the PC screen as Michael Corleone meticulously pulled out a gun from the bathroom and proceeded to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey. To this day, that scene gives me chills. Films like The Godfather and more have made quite the impression on the young minds of this generation and opened the floodgates of modern visual storytelling. There’s no doubt that films were an integral reason for me to step into the realm of writing, however, most of the films I’ve been affected by, I’ve seen on my laptop. As much as I love the cosiness and isolation of my room, my heart occasionally squeals - Man, it’d be awesome to see this on a massive screen. Little did I know, cinephiles like me were in for a huge treat!
1018mb
“One thing you notice in India is that there aren’t a lot of options. Movies are normally pushed to the consumer. There is not a concept of crowdsourcing your own event”, says Santhosh Sundaram, one of the five founders of the Mumbai-based film company, 1018mb. This one of a kind, forward-thinking company is at the forefront of pushing the envelope when it comes to modern cinema-viewing. Through their website, you can create a personalised screening event and get a chance to view a film of your choice at a venue near you. Having started in 2015, 1018mb have tie-ups with 900 screens, 5 multiplexes and have already showcased several of their films across 25 odd cities. An old English classic or a new Malayalam indie, with them, everything’s just a click away.
Founders
Accompanying Santhosh Sundaram are Saurabh Devandra Singh, Shishir Ranjan, Abhay Salve and television actress Saumya Tandon, who was initially their sole connection to the entertainment industry. Saumya’s husband Shishir, along with the rest of the men in the lot, hail from the banking industry and took a plunge into the unknown purely because of their love of cinema. Initial months were rough with numerous hindrances in terms of screening and projection technicalities, however, they sailed through and extended into their second venture – distribution. “The idea was to create a platform to give great content it’s equal share”, says Santhosh. While their fans pitch them their film choices via social media, independent filmmakers directly contact the company to have their films screened or distributed.
Pushing The Boundaries
But their innovation doesn’t stop there, they are planning to give their distribution sector an alternative flair by screening their films at unique venues, from bars and pubs to amphitheatres and auditoriums. “Obviously there are some handicaps like you can’t show a Marathi film at The Irish House. But this helps some of the smaller films breathe in the big-budget market. Also, thanks to IPL there are several venues across India with good quality screens”, says Santhosh. He gives the example of how they utilize Drishyam VFX’s 14-20 seater auditorium which remains unused in the evening. 1018mb plans to push the envelope more by introducing different formats to their roster such as short films and T.V. shows, “We don’t want to contain ourselves to movies only. In fact, it would be great to showcase some of the Netflix content. The production value of some of these shows is unbelievable”.
Netflix or The Big Screen
Contradicting myself from the beginning, I can’t help but wonder if a format like this is viable in a world which is swiftly pacing towards the home experience? Online platforms are taking over the entertainment market, slowly putrefying the theatre culture. Optimistic in his response, Santhosh says, “Would you prefer watching something like Interstellar on your laptop or on an IMAX screen? Giving the audience back that power of watching and reliving classics on the big screen is what’s important to us. Even though I watch a lot of Netflix, I believe the communal experience is here to stay.”
India & The World
Even in India, there are several gaping holes in the film industry. A dearth of quality content coupled with high ticket prices has caused an influx of online content leading to empty theatre seats. Can the Indian film industry survive the storm in the long run? “Basically the economics in the industry are very archaic. Entertainment tax structures are extremely high. If we were to get some kind of support from the regulations, things would be easier. Having said all that, if there’s great content, people will come to watch it”, answers Santhosh.
Future
With almost childlike enthusiasm Santhosh says, “I imagine 15-screen multiplexes where 2 or 3 screens are dedicated to on-demand films. Like there will be a tab outside for selection and the film will be chosen according to the votes by the people walking in... but there’s a long way to go.” Indeed, the future exudes excitement with the varied possibilities of experiencing visual storytelling and its form. But the efforts of enterprises like 1018mb can’t be taken for granted as they take sincere and small steps towards changing the culture. Now if you don’t mind, I have to get back to picking between 12 Angry Men and Pyaasa for the weekend!
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