‘A’ rated films a hit parade

Even as filmmakers are battling it out with the I & B Ministry to air U/A films at primetime on TV, the box-office seems to be thriving with adult films. Since the last couple of years, we have seen several ‘A’ certified films like The Dirty Picture, Delhi Belly and Murder 2 ringing the cash registers.  The latest one to join the hit parade is Jannat 2,  even Hate Story before that did pretty well and Vicky Donor despite its topic of sperm donation managed to get an U/A certificate and succeed at the box-office. Clearly, filmmakers are no longer shying away from exploring subjects with adult themes. Neither are they worried about getting that dreaded ‘A’ certificate, which was believed to keep a major chunk of the audience away.

Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, “Filmmakers are open to experimenting with adult content, which need not necessarily be vulgar. Vicky Donor appealed to a mature audience and sperm donation is no longer a taboo topic.” He, however, points out that the trend of making adult  films is not  new. “There have been sleazy adult films packaged with good music in the past. Also, today the multiplex audience is open to adult cinema with good content, which is why non-family films like Delhi Belly did pretty well,” he reckons.

Agrees Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, which co-produced Delhi Belly, “In the last few years, we have seen ‘A’ films like Race, Kaminey, Delhi Belly, No One Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture doing spectacular  business. The 18-35 age group comprising the young adults and the non-family audience has become the key demographic and filmmakers are willing to explore adult subjects as it has become lucrative.”

However, when  director Vivek Agnihotri was approached by filmmaker Vikram Bhatt to direct Hate Story, he was initially sceptical because “it was pure erotica”. “I did think about how to picturise certain scenes without diluting their effect. I was confident that if I make a good, sensible product, people will watch it,” he maintains.

Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, that  produced The Dirty Picture and Ragini MMS,  echoes his statement when he says audiences look for content. “The myth that ‘A’ movies don’t work has been disproved,” he  avers.  “There is a young generation of cinegoers, an educated breed that is looking for new-age cinema. It’s a heartening trend, reflective of the liberalisation and emancipation of cinema,” he shares.

He, however, points out that unless the Censor Board of Certificate and the legal framework support such films, they will not flourish. “Right now, there’s a great wave of cinema but I see it subsiding if it’s not supported,” he cautions.