Chapter 173 Guaranteed Profit
The crew returned to Mumbai, and Ron also took time out to visit the set.
More than half a month had passed since they parted in Uttar Pradesh, and he still missed Urmila's tight figure.
"Ron!"
As expected, as soon as they entered the studio, Urmila cried out in joy.
She dropped the script and rushed to Ron, wanting to throw herself into his arms, but she was concerned about the crew.
In a rural area like Uttar Pradesh where information is cut off, she is very courageous.
Arriving in Mumbai, a place where gossip is everywhere, Urmila also became cautious.
Ron didn't care about that. He hugged the little girl and kissed her intimately, then whispered a few words into her ear.
Only after Urmila's face turned red and her eyes were filled with tears did he pat her slender waist and signal her to go and get busy.
Ron simply ignored the eyes in the studio that were flashing with gossip.
What's the matter? As the financial sponsor, isn't it your duty to sleep with the heroine?
The only person who minds it is probably Manisha, who is also in Bollywood.
But the other party was filming in Chennai at the time and had no time to pay attention to this place.
Through Ron's connections, she also took on two dramas this year and will probably be busy until the end of the year.
"Men are really the kind of people who get bored easily!" Lena said sarcastically.
"My dear, I haven't missed out on your share. Just don't cry out that it's too hot at night."
"Bah!" Lena cursed with a smile.
She testified that it was indeed a bit hot.
"It seems that someone has regained his confidence after not seeing him for a few days?" Mary came over.
"Anyway, I'm not the one begging for mercy every time," Ron hugged her. "How's everything going in Uttarakhand?"
"I came back alive."
"Is it that exaggerated?"
"You can't imagine the enthusiasm of the locals for the film. Every time we shoot, the scene is always crowded with farmers who come to watch the fun. Even the sadhus keep pestering us."
"Ashtica?" Ron was a little surprised.
"That's right. No matter where the crew goes, there are always dozens of ascetics hanging around. They are all hidden gentlemen."
Mary explained that the ascetics who had finished their morning prayers that day came to watch the filming of the mythological story, not only blocking the passage, but also demanding to appear in the movie.
Given that many of them are dangerous, the crew dared not refuse.
"Director Shiv said that hooligans from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, as long as they have a criminal record in their region, will go to Uttarakhand, shave their heads and pretend to be monks. This way they can evade arrest by the police and avoid legal accountability."
"I remember the crew arranged several security personnel?" Ron personally handled this matter, and all the people he selected were reliable people from his hometown.
"No, there are too many of them. Director Shiv said it's best not to clash with the locals. We should shoot quickly and leave after it's done."
"It seems that in the future, it would be best if this kind of thing could be taken care of by a local association."
It’s okay in cities, but in places like rural areas, it’s really hard to say sometimes.
Ron wanted to talk to Shiv, but he was busy filming.
This scene tells the story of the male protagonist who mistakenly believes that his wife is having an affair with his cousin, so he drowns his sorrows in alcohol.
In this scene, the prop bottles of 1970s whiskey were filled with Coke to save money.
The budget for "Hail to the Goddess" was limited, so water had to be added to the Coke, and one bottle of Coke could fill six wine bottles.
Lanka sat on the sofa, drinking the most diluted Coke in big gulps, pretending to be drunk.
After drinking the liquid, in order to express the character's inner distress, he threw the glass bottle forward, and the camera immediately followed.
You would think the bottle would smash to pieces on the ground, but that's not the case.
Two assistants were standing behind the camera, having already spread out a bed sheet to catch the bottle so that it could be used again next time.
Wow, Ron had to give a thumbs up to the producer.
This little trick to save money is the essence of the crew's cost control.
The scene is not over yet. The male protagonist is now in a disco, so smoke is needed to create a dance floor effect.
But using dry ice or powder to create smoke effects was too expensive, so the crew creatively switched to burning cow dung.
The smoke stung Lanka's eyes and he kept crying.
The producer secretly cheered on the side, as this saved him the money to buy eye drops.
Damn, Ron discovered that this producer Agarwal is such a talent.
This is the smoke.
"Cough cough." Ron couldn't stand the pungent smell of cow dung and felt drunk.
Mary, Urmila and the others had already hidden outside, and finally Ron also became a deserter.
He really broadened his horizons. Making movies in Bollywood is like having a cheat code.
It took nearly half an hour to complete the filming of this scene.
Lanka and the crew, including director Shiv, stayed on the set throughout the entire process.
"The film can be finished today." During the intermission, director Schiff came over.
"What about post-production? Can we release it next month?" Ron asked.
"No problem. I had the film I shot earlier sent back in advance. I can shoot and edit it at the same time. It's very quick."
Director Schiff is very experienced, and low-cost films do not require such sophistication, so post-production is basically carried out simultaneously.
The film's soundtrack is almost complete, with five songs in total, and the singers are quite well-known.
Lanka contributed one song and he and Urmila sang another duet.
These songs will be interspersed throughout the film, which means that "Hymn to Durga Puja" will have five song and dance segments.
Director Shiv considers it the trump card of the film. Rural people in India like to watch singing and dancing segments that do not require any brainpower.
"Are there any problems with the filming now?" Ron asked with concern.
“All that remains is publicity, which is the key to the success of our film,” replied Shiv.
"What do you think?" This was also Ron's first time participating in film production, and he preferred to listen to the advice of professionals.
"Our film is a religious one, so rural areas are key. My idea is to have rickshaw drivers ride around rural North India with loudspeakers, announcing the upcoming release of the new entertainment blockbuster of the year!"
"Wow! That's a great idea." Ron exclaimed.
Look, this is called professionalism.
In rural areas, where there is no electricity and people cannot afford radios, this kind of human propaganda with loudspeakers is most effective.
"But there is a problem now. We don't have enough funds." Schiff shook his neck.
Ron paused. "Alright." The 3 million rupee budget wasn't maintained after all.
"How much more?" he asked.
"In rural areas, two lacs is about the same. In cities."
"Don't even think about South India. There's no market for religious films here. Just find a few magazines to advertise."
Ron initially didn't expect any box office success in South India; they were targeting rural areas in Central and North India, especially the latter, where religion was prevalent.
Ron planned to ask Raj for help with the so-called city publicity. As Raj was a columnist for Screen, he could write a few articles and post some promotional photos.
In this way, the scope of publicity and promotion is set in rural areas, and 200,000 rupees is enough to make a splash.
"I've also contacted several publishers. Would you be interested in meeting them, Mr. Soul?"
"Sure, I happen to be dealing with the film censorship issue in Uttar Pradesh recently."
"What's the result?" Schiff looked expectant.
"This is great news." Ron smiled.
"What good news?" Mary and the others came over.
"As far as I know, several high-ranking government officials in Uttar Pradesh are devout believers in Durga Puja."
"So there's no problem with film censorship?" Schiff asked excitedly.
As long as it passes the censorship, the movie can be shown openly in local cinemas.
That means they can take a share of the box office revenue instead of selling the distribution rights all at once.
“Not only was there no problem with the censorship, but Uttar Pradesh also exempted us from entertainment tax.” Ron smiled.
"Wow!" Everyone became very excited.
The Indian government's entertainment tax is very perverted. It directly takes a cut from movie tickets.
For example, in Mumbai, where the entertainment tax is as high as 25%, a quarter of the ticket price is paid to the government as tax.
Uttar Pradesh is even more outrageous, collecting one-third of its entertainment tax.
Ron easily dealt with the Uttar Pradesh Film Censorship Board through the connections of his second uncle Aditya.
I have connections in my hometown, so it’s convenient to get things done.
Sur cannot be said to be among the top Brahmin families in Uttar Pradesh, but he has all the necessary power.
In particular, Ron's Sur Electric Appliances became even more famous in Uttar Pradesh after being promoted vigorously by his family.
The advert is broadcast every day on All India Television, and even the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has heard of it.
Entertainment tax and the like are not worth mentioning.
With one-third less box office revenue, it means that Ron and his team's movie is guaranteed to make a profit.
This is why he agreed to increase the budget by Rs 200,000, all for greater profits.
"I need to find a few more issuers. We will definitely make money this time." Schiff waved his hands and turned to look through his phone book.
As directors, in addition to the initial salary of 300,000 rupees, they also have additional clauses.
If the movie is a big hit, Ron, as an investor and producer, will give him a considerable bonus.
This is an established rule in Bollywood, and everyone, including the leading actors, has similar incentive conditions.
Of course, if the movie loses money, not to mention the bonus, even whether the salary can be paid is still uncertain.
Sloppy, very sloppy.
Bollywood also treats people like beasts of burden. Lanka, as the male lead, even paid tens of thousands of rupees.
As for the songs he sang, if the movie receives good feedback, music cassettes will definitely be released.
Maybe it will be noticed by a record company and the copyright can be sold.
But this has nothing to do with Lanka, and he won't get a penny.
All the money will go into Ron's pocket, because he is the financial sponsor.
Well, as the financial sponsor, he is going to tell Urmila about the play.
But her mother called in the middle of the night, which prevented Ron from enjoying himself.
Her mother asked her daughter why she was panting, and Urmila could only lie and say that she was eating sour and spicy potatoes.
It took half an hour to eat and it was very tiring.
After leaving, Ron was satisfied and prepared to go to the slums. Ashish wanted to introduce someone to him.
(End of this chapter)
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