Not every film can be a crowd-puller, but in over 80 per cent of India’s pin codes, there aren’t even screens for those interested
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India’s box office growth masks a deeper problem: too few cinema screens. Without expanding exhibition beyond metros, Indian films cannot unlock their true market potential.
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Ikkis, Sriram Raghavan’s ode to Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, is a lovely film. The story of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee (for the 1971 war against Pakistan) reminds you that war is not just about who won, but also about what was lost. Ikkis, however, failed at the box office, while Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, an aggressive spy caper with Pakistan as the villain, was a resounding success. The contrast between the two films and their fate is much like that between the two reports on the movie business released earlier this year.
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