Recession Takes Its Toll, Biggies Unsold, Lamhaa Finds A Unique Way Of Finding Buyers

Thanks to the recession and the stand-off between producers and multiplex theatres the biggest of films under-production are lying unsold.

Director Rahul Dholakia’s Kashmir saga Lamhaa is one such multi-crore film that is waiting for buyers. In spite of heavyweights like Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu and Kunal Kapoor in the cast Lamhaa has found no takers yet.

Producer Bunty Walia has found a unique way of selling his film. He has put together a 6-minute trailer of Lamhaa which he will now send to 30 distributors across the country.

Walia hopes the trailer would convince distributors to invest in Lamhaa.

Says the harassed producer. “I know this is a very unorthodox way of selling a film. But do we have a choice? Gone are the days when we producers wouldn’t show a frame of our films to distributors until it was complete.”

In fact Bunty flew to Goa where Dutt is shooting, with his 6-minute trailer-showreel and got the actor’s approval.

Says Bunty, “Sanju loved it. Nothing is being done without his approval. Sanju is the backbone of Lamhaa. He grew a beard specially for the film. Then kept it right until the end. He shaved off the beard on the day he left for Lucknow to campaign for the Samajwadi Party.”

Now apparently Dutt is taking a keen interest in the completion, sale and marketing of his films.

Several of his films including Zee’s Chatur Singh 2 Star and Lamhaa are yet to find buyers.

But Wallia says it’s only a matter of time. “The break that he took send out wrong signals in the market. Now that he’s back full-swing the market knows Sanju is here for good. See, content is king. And if you’ve a film with a high content then you’ve nothing to worry about.”