Log on to rajshriproductions.com and you will come across India’s first web portal that allows you to watch the latest Shahid Kapur and Amrita Rao venture Vivah online. The film’s premiere on the net coincided with its release across theatres. Mainly aimed at the NRI and foreigners, any one can watch Vivah on the payment of $10 with a limited 72-hour license.
“If you do not watch the film within 72 hours then you will have to pay another $10 to watch the film,” says Rajshri Media Pvt. Ltd, managing director Rajat A. Barjatya.
But did they consider that allowing access to their film on the net would eat into their business in India?
“All mediums can co-exist simultaneously. The main purpose of premiering Vivah on the net was for those who did not live near a theatre that releases Hindi films. If someone from Scandinavia or Japan wanted to watch the film, he or she could do so on the net,” points out Barjatya.
He agrees that those with access to a theatre might not want to watch the film on the net. “The impact would be ruined! Can a PC replace the big screen euphoria?” he asks.
“Every medium, whether it is the theatre or the net, has its pros and cons. Our main purpose is to touch every nook and corner of the globe,” says Barjatya.
Echoing Barjatya’s opinion Rajesh Johri an avid film fan says, “I think the magic of watching the film in the theatre is something else. It leaves an impact on you which I don’t think a film watched on a computer would.” But for someone like Bhavit Parekh who keeps a close watch on his expenditure, watching the film on the net is cheap and falls within his budget.
“At a cost of Rs 450 my entire family can watch the film. I know it becomes slightly inconvenient as far as theseating arrangements are concerned but we somehow manage and I think this technology has turned to be a blessing for people like me,” he says.
While one could say that Rajshri Productions is the first to premiere their Hindi film on the net, Eros Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the largest distributor of Hindi films in the UK, USA, UAE, Australia and New Zealand have already launched a portal beondemand.com that offers films online for its viewers.
Also, Eros Entertainment boasts of a library with the largest collection of Hindi films.
“If you log on to beondemand.com, you will see the list of Hindi films that it offers. You could watch the film by paying as little as three dollars per view,” informs a staffer.
He adds, “The time period within which the viewer has to watch the film depends on the film that he has chosen. A film that’s very old may have more than a week’s license to be watched. It may not be the same for a new film. In fact, the time frame for watching a new film is kept as short as possible.” While one can watch films on rajshriproductions.com and beondemand.com legally, there are websites like bulbule.com that allow you to not only watch but also download latest releases like Don and Jaan-E-Maan for absolutely free. In fact, this reporter even saw portions of Don on the net.
So much for the efforts made by the film industry to curb piracy!
“If you do not watch the film within 72 hours then you will have to pay another $10 to watch the film,” says Rajshri Media Pvt. Ltd, managing director Rajat A. Barjatya.
But did they consider that allowing access to their film on the net would eat into their business in India?
“All mediums can co-exist simultaneously. The main purpose of premiering Vivah on the net was for those who did not live near a theatre that releases Hindi films. If someone from Scandinavia or Japan wanted to watch the film, he or she could do so on the net,” points out Barjatya.
He agrees that those with access to a theatre might not want to watch the film on the net. “The impact would be ruined! Can a PC replace the big screen euphoria?” he asks.
“Every medium, whether it is the theatre or the net, has its pros and cons. Our main purpose is to touch every nook and corner of the globe,” says Barjatya.
Echoing Barjatya’s opinion Rajesh Johri an avid film fan says, “I think the magic of watching the film in the theatre is something else. It leaves an impact on you which I don’t think a film watched on a computer would.” But for someone like Bhavit Parekh who keeps a close watch on his expenditure, watching the film on the net is cheap and falls within his budget.
“At a cost of Rs 450 my entire family can watch the film. I know it becomes slightly inconvenient as far as theseating arrangements are concerned but we somehow manage and I think this technology has turned to be a blessing for people like me,” he says.
While one could say that Rajshri Productions is the first to premiere their Hindi film on the net, Eros Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the largest distributor of Hindi films in the UK, USA, UAE, Australia and New Zealand have already launched a portal beondemand.com that offers films online for its viewers.
Also, Eros Entertainment boasts of a library with the largest collection of Hindi films.
“If you log on to beondemand.com, you will see the list of Hindi films that it offers. You could watch the film by paying as little as three dollars per view,” informs a staffer.
He adds, “The time period within which the viewer has to watch the film depends on the film that he has chosen. A film that’s very old may have more than a week’s license to be watched. It may not be the same for a new film. In fact, the time frame for watching a new film is kept as short as possible.” While one can watch films on rajshriproductions.com and beondemand.com legally, there are websites like bulbule.com that allow you to not only watch but also download latest releases like Don and Jaan-E-Maan for absolutely free. In fact, this reporter even saw portions of Don on the net.
So much for the efforts made by the film industry to curb piracy!
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