Cheran rues having incomprehensible movie title
Cheran rues having incomprehensible movie title

Mumbai: Filmmaker Cheran has rued his latest Tamil venture has had few takers at a festival here and the national award winner has attributed the poor turnout to the movie`s local name.

"If the audience does not understand the movie`s title, they may even decide to give it a miss," said Cheran, whose `Pokkisham` (Treasure) was screened in the Indian Frame section at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival but the theatre was two-thirds empty.

"A lot also depends upon the movie`s name. Had the name been something that is familiar to the people here, may be in English, more movie buffs would have preferred to watch it," the 39-year-old actor-director said.

"However, tax benefits in Tamil Nadu is extended only to those movies which have a Tamil name. My other movie, `Autograph`, though was well-received by the audience, was not exempted from tax by the government as it was christened in English," he rued.

The Tamil Nadu government in a bid to promote Tamil films had announced to exempt Tamil films with Tamil titles from entertainment tax for the benefit of film lovers.

Cheran has now decided to remake `Pokkisham`, depicting love across decades, unfolding through a reading of a Hindi letter.

"In this way, even I would get a chance to do some value addition," he added.

Bureau Report