Samir Soni, whose movie My Birthday Song is set to release next week, is understandably nervous as it’s his first outing as a director. And now, he has another reason to worry. Since Padmavat and Pad Man are releasing the following week, he has already been told by exhibitors that he will not get any screens during that period. “My Birthday Song is a small-budget film and when we had announced the release date, there was no Padmavat. But, now that the period film and Pad Man are opening in cinemas on the same day, my film — even if it is coming a week before — is hard-pressed to find any screens amidst these big movies,” says Samir.
The actor-director is confident of his product but also aware that the audience won’t flock to theatres to watch the psychological thriller immediately after its release because it doesn’t boast of big names. However, he has got good feedback from B-Town. “The industry has been kind to me and everyone from Amitabh Bachchan to Salman Khan have tweeted positively about the trailer. I know it will require word-of-mouth publicity and good reviews to motivate people to see the film. That will take time and by then even if they want to see it, they won’t be able to as the movie will be out of theatres,” he rues.
“It’s not about whether the film is good or bad but about getting screens. We feel bad for what happened with Padmavat but I feel the chain reaction of its release date is affecting small-budget films like ours,” he signs off.
