‘Costs need to come down to more realistic levels’

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: Facing a strike at multiplexes, Bollywood’s top producers showcased their films at Cannes ’09, but at the end of the festival, only two films found buyers. One was Dev Benegal’s Road, Movie, presented by The Indian Film Company in association with Studio 18. The buyer, Fortissimo Films, is one of international cinema’s most respected sales agents, and as Sandeep Bhargava, CEO of the advisory to The Indian Film Company, puts it, the association will do wonders for this carnivalesque drama starring Abhay Deol and Tannishtha Chatterjee. India was the flavour at Cannes and the Fortissimo Films-Indian Film deal shows the global interest in Indian films following the worldwide acclaim of Slumdog Millionaire, Bhargava tells FE’s Sudipta Datta. Excerpts:

How did Fortissimo get interested in Road, Movie?

Fortissimo has been following the project for nearly two years ever since the script created a buzz at Cannes in 2006. While I was sure that we wanted to produce the film, we told them we would go to them once the film is ready for distribution across the world. Once the rushes were ready, it took us three months of hard negotiations to sign on the dotted line. We sealed the deal prior to Cannes but made the announcement only during the festival.

Has the impact of Slumdog Millionaire played a role in this acquisition?

Well, Road, Movie captures aspects of India that one doesn’t mind showcasing. The story has a universal appeal, as it follows a young man driving a truck with two old film projectors through Kutch and Jaisalmer—the desert landscape of India. It’s beautifully shot and has stellar performances. The film was picked up on its own merit. But it’s a fact that Indian films are in focus around the globe after Slumdog’s phenomenal success.

Bollywood hasn’t had a good year. With recession, there’s bound to be cost-rationalisation, but have prices come down to sustainable levels?

Cost of production and acquisition has gone down, but it needs to reduce further to reach realistic levels. We are not hearing of films being sold for Rs 100 crore anymore and artists’ prices too have gone down, but we need to do more to save on costs of production.

What about the domestic box-office?