On July 20, 2012, the Rajan Khosa-directed Gattu became the first commercially-released film produced by the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) through Rajashree Pictures. “After its theatrical release, we tried to do all its marketing. We appointed a world sales agent for its overseas release. It travelled to many international festivals, and we charged screening fees for the first time,” says Shravan Kumar, CEO of CFSI.
Much like the Film and Television Institute of India and the National Film Development Corporation, CFSI also played a significant role in the growth of Indian cinema before systemic problems bogged it down in the 1990s. Prominent Indian film-makers such as Shyam Benegal, Tapan Sinha, M.S. Sathyu, Mrinal Sen and Sai Paranjpye in their time, and younger directors such as Santosh Sivan, Rituparno Ghosh and Pankaj Advani made several children’s films, before low budgets and the lack of visibility began to plague CFSI.
On November 14 this year, CFSI opened the 19th edition of Golden Elephant, the International Children’s Film Festival of India (ICFFI), in Hyderabad. This biennial festival and the annual National Children’s Film Festival have done a great deal to showcase children’s cinema and improve its visibility. And now, Shravan Kumar is pushing the envelope further, chiefly in terms of boosting the outreach programme and opening up fresh revenue streams.
For instance, CFSI has launched a smartphone app that can connect children’s cinema with its audience. Recognising that CFSI’s intrinsic strength lay in its vast network of schools, Kumar has also started to screen its productions in municipal schools across India. He says, “We have an extensive network, but we never leveraged it. We were doing 4,000 to 5,000 shows reaching 10 to 15 lakh children across India. The year I joined, I increased it to about 9,000 shows reaching 25 lakh children, including in the Northeast.”
The average CFSI film has a budget of Rs 1.5 crore, which leaves little or no scope for marketing and promotions. “I realised that if we can bring children to theatres and bargain for a cheap price with the exhibitors, then it is a win-win. Schools are happy to send children even during school days as a field trip.”
To test the idea, Kumar met the CEOs of multiplex chains like PVR and IMAX, and conducted a pilot project in Delhi in 2013. Gattu was screened to a group of schools in six PVR theatres at a modest price, and the model was successful. “Multiplexes were happy to accommodate children in the emptier morning slots. Tickets were priced at Rs. 70, and revenues were shared by CFSI and PVR on a 50:50 ratio. We had full shows without any distribution, advertising or promotion costs. It was pure revenue for the producer and the exhibitor. I thought this model could be perfected further,” he says.
CFSI’s next film was Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiyaa , directed by animator Shilpa Ranade and based on the story of Goopi and Bagha immortalised earlier by actors Tapan Chatterjee and Robi Ghosh in Satyajit Ray’s classic Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne. During a visit to Mumbai, Toronto International Film Festival director Cameron Bailey saw the rough cut of Ranade’s film, and offered it a slot for a Toronto premiere. The film also had its Asian premiere at Busan besides travelling to several other festivals.
“I realised that this was another film that could be released through this network of multiplexes. It was released in Mumbai in 2014 in association with IMAX and other theatres, as well as Mumbai schools. Its success made us confident about the model,” says Kumar.
Other recent CFSI films such as Pappu Ki Pugdundi, Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya, Heda Heda, Kaphal and Gattu were also later screened commercially in Austin, U.S., and at the British Institute.
CFSI’s participation in national and international film festivals has also been increased substantially in recent years. “According to CFSI guidelines, we have to enter a minimum of 15 festivals annually but we have participated in over 250 in the last three years. Festivals pay us to screen our films at their festivals,” says Kumar.
Film-maker Batul Mukhtiar, whose Kaphal (Wild Berries) won the national award for best children’s film last year, welcomes CFSI’s efforts to release films commercially. “When I made Lilkee , my CFSI film in 2005, I was disappointed that the film lay in a cupboard for five years until Nandita Das became CFSI chairperson and released a DVD of the film. A theatrical release makes a lot of difference,” she says.
CFSI has also redesigned its website, which now showcases trailers of its productions and DVDs of films. But film-makers expect even greater engagement from CFSI. “I don’t know which schools my film was screened in or the festivals it travelled to. I would expect more streamlining in CFSI’s procedures in increasing the visibility of the films. As a filmmaker, I would be happy to partner with CFSI in taking the film to audiences, especially schools,” says Shilpa Ranade.
As the director of ICFFI, Kumar also curates the ‘Little Directors’ section, which showcases cinema made by child film-makers. This year we have opened up the section to children from other countries as well, says Kumar.
