Posts tagged deepak asher

Nationwide theatre strike on Feb 23

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1 year ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 10, 2012)

 

Mumbai: Come February 23 and there will be a no-show on the silver screen across the country. Multiplexes and single-screen owners have decided to participate in a nationwide strike called by the Film Federation of India to protest against the government’s proposal to bring the film industry under the purview of service tax.

There are around10,000 cinemas in India, according to estimates. Deepak Asher, president of the multiplex owners’ association, said: “All multiplexes in the country will be shut on February 23.” The television industry, though, will not be affected.

Concerned, an industry source said, “It will get passed on to the consumer by way of higher ticket prices, which is not good for the industry.’’

Distributor and exhibitor Ramesh Sippy said: “Single screen theatres have already agreed to take part in the strike. A token strike will not have any impact; only an indefinite stir can work at this stage. The service tax will be a huge burden on producers..”

Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers president Ratan Jain said: “A token strike is certainly on but we are yet to decide on an indefinite stir.”

It will be business as usual for the TV industry. Producer J D Majithia said: “We need to take permission from broadcasters before going on a strike. The TV industry operates 24x7 and we cannot stop work.”

Inox may phase out Fame brand

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 9, 2010)

Kolkata: Inox, which has bought the promoters’ stake in Fame, may phase out the acquired brand in future.

Inox director Deepak Asher indicated the group is unlikely to retain two multiplex brands in the long run. “We will evaluate the situation. There could be one brand and in that case, it is likely to be Inox,’’ Asher, who was in the city on Monday, told TOI.

Inox had earlier rebranded 89 Cinemas in Kolkata — after buying it in 2006 — as Inox Swabhumi. Asher said the company will continue to look at inorganic opportunities. “We have done acquisition earlier and will also look to do in future,’’ he said.

After buying 43.28% stake owned by the promoter family of Fame for an all-cash consideration of Rs 66.48 crore, Inox has already come out with an open offer for acquiring additional stake.

Asher said that after the acquisition, Inox group will have 55 properties and 205 screens. “Inox will set up 10 new properties and Fame will add five properties in Kolkata by December 2010. There will be a total of 55 new screens. The investment per screen is Rs 2-3 crore,’’ he added.

Asher claimed that after the acquisition, Inox will become the undisputed leader in most regions. The other national players in the multiplex business are Big Cinemas, PVR, Cinemax and Fun Republic.

Elaborating on future plans, he added that film distribution and production will be other areas Inox will actively look More >

SRK-Sena spat has multiplex owners treading with caution

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 4, 2010)

Mumbai: Multiplex owners in the state are hoping that the spat between the Shiv Sena and Shah Rukh Khan will be resolved before February 12, the day My Name Is Khan is slated for release. The actor’s refusal to bow to the Sena’s demand for an apology over his statement that Pakistani players be included in the IPL has cinema hall owners treading with caution.

At present, multiplex owners are going slow on displaying the publicity material at their premises because of the tense stand-off.

“We would all like to screen the film,’’ a multiplex owner said. CEO of PVR Cinemas Amitabh Vardhan said, “There is still a lot of time for the film’s release and I am sure the issue will be sorted out by then.’’ But, in the absence of any official communication of police commissioner D Sivanandhan’s assurance of protection to cinema halls, multiplex owners are keeping their fingers crossed.

Beneath the words of hope and confidence, there is some underlying tension following last week’s vandalism at Cinemax, Thane, by Sena workers. Film critic Dilip Thakur recalled the release of Bachchan-starrer Shahenshah at Maratha Mandir in 1988. “The film was released amidst tight security at cinema halls. There was a similar problem at the time of release of Khalnayak,’’ he said.

Inox director Deepak Asher said, “We will definitely run the film if we get a good environment.’’ Manoj Desai of G-7 said, “I will run the film if other More >

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