Bollywood & Piracy

We all know that piracy is a crime.But I just thought of Piracy through the mind of a communist.The first question that arises is "Why do People Pirate?".Here are some reasons that I could think of.First and foremost is the business of piracy itself.Though its illegal and the pirated version of the movie has a dismal quality, this trade is flourishing and is worth crores.This makes us think "Why are pirated movies though being of low quality so popular ?" Though there are many reasons for their popularity,I want to discuss the most important one,The Cost.

The cost of one cd which has one movie can be as low as Rs.30.At such a cost at least one whole family can watch it.If we compare it to the cost the family would incur in watching the same can be anywhere between Rs.160-600(In metros the latter figure is more prominent).So the high ticket cost these multiplexes and theatres charge distance the lower middle class families from watching the movies.

The second question that keeps boggling me is "If the lower middle class and the poor class(which are a major chunk of the Indian society) are really benefited from piracy,then Is piracy really a crime ?"Then I searched for reasons as to why its a crime.The main reason is that it steals the copyright of the distributor,hence incurring a loss not only to the distributor but also to the producer.Then I analyzed how big the loss is and if it can be reduced in anyway.

First of all the budget of every hindi movie made these days is so huge(around an average of Rs.30-40 crores) that they cant recover their expenditure unless it is a smash hit.Secondly,atleast two movies are released each week,which makes the chances of a smash hit decrease.And lastly the high ticket prices in metros also discourages some cinemagoers.

I found some solutions to these problems.Firstly,the budget of the movies can be easily reduced by decreasing the money spent on filmstars.Imagine if Shahrukh's income is reduced from Rs.10 crores to Rs.10 lakhs.This will not only drastically decrease the budget but also help in reducing the economic disparities between the ultra rich and the poor.As the budget will reduce so is the loss incurred in case of a flop,whereas if the film is a smash hit then the profit can be shared with the actors so that they are accountable for the movie.

Secondly,reduce the number of movies filmed.Well this entirely depends on the producers but I sincerely think that it can be done.We are already seeing that most of the movies have non-sensical script and direction.

Thirdly,the ticket price of the multiplexes can be reduced so that more and more people are encouraged to watch their superstars on the big screen.More and more theatres can be opened so that a housefull situation does not occur.

Some might argue that no actor will accept this proposal.Surely they wont;but some negotiation can be definitely sought.These steps will not only lower the budget of movies but also discourage cinemagoers from buying pirated discs.

If we follow these steps I sincerely feel that piracy will come down.Just advertising that Piracy is a crime is not a solution.We all want piracy to end.What we have to do is to get to its root and solve it.