2022 has been a great year for producer, Jayantilal Gada, having films like Gangubai, RRR, Vikram, Sitaramam, and PS 1 under his kitty. Interestingly, all the films followed a distinct marketing and distribution strategy. Jayantilal Gada explains, “In North India, the marketing cost is huge and due to that there is a possibility for things to go haywire. Every film merits a certain plan. We went all out of RRR, but Vikram had small marketing and small distribution. Sita Ramam had zero marketing and small distribution. It was released a month after opening in Telugu markets and the word of mouth there was the biggest tool of marketing.”
Having struck the chord right, what’s the formula of acquiring films? He adds, “There’s a team that decides on the acquisitions and collaborations. There are times when we miss out on a deal too. We try to do market research and then decide on the commercials that film warrants.” Jayanti Bhai is confident that the second installment of both, Vikram and Ponniyin Selvan will be huge blockbusters in the Northern market too. “Vikram has established the future of this franchise in Hindi belts. Part 2 will be a blockbuster,” he smiles.
The filmmaker is also very bullish on PS 2. “The same can be said for PS 2 as well. More and more people will watch both Vikram and PS 1 on the OTT world until the sequel arrives. If Sita Ramam team decides to make a sequel, even that will be a success story in Hindi.” Pen Studios has been experimenting on business models with regard to distribution. “We are tailor-made for the south partners. We are the most transparent studio in Bollywood and that’s why we are the first choice. We believe in doing business basis the trust,” he exults.
In 2023, the filmmaker is planning to launch Bellamkonda Sreenivas in the Hindi markets with the official remake of the Telugu blockbuster, the SS Rajamouli-directed Chatrapathi fronted by Prabhas. “We are extremely confident as the film has shaped up well. We have modified it for today’s audience and the modifications are done by Vijayendra Prasad himself, which is our biggest plus point. The hero is very big in the digital world and we are hopeful that the audience will accept him,” he concludes.