Shivaji rights sold for record price!

By: Settu Shankar
Friday, June 01, 2007
Kalaignar TV paid a record price for Shivaji Channel rights to AVM. Reliable sources revealed that the price given to the film is all time high in the history of Indian Cinema. Sources said it has been bought for nearly Rs.6cr, but the production house has refused to disclose the exact amount.

Superstar Rajinikanth's mega project Shivaji, which has Shreya Saran as the heroine, has been creating big hype not only in India but also around the world. It is the only regional language film which will be released worldwide with more than 1000 prints. The business of the film has touched a new high.

Initially, there was hesitation from the exhibitors in buying the prints on Minimum Guarantee (MG) basis. They demanded to exhibit the film on percentage basis. But the producer stuck to his decision and clearly told the exhibitors to take the prints only on MG system. There was split in the Exhibitors' Association too with a segment strongly supporting AVM. Then AVM safely handed over the distribution to Abhirami Ramanathan, a baron in the Exhibitors Association for Chennai City, thus solving the whole crisis. Thiruppur Subramaniam, another big name among the exhibitors got the Coimbatore rights.

The important twist in this issue came a few days ago with AVM selling the Channel Rights of the film to Kalaignar TV for a whooping price. Since Kalaignar TV is owned by the Ruling Party, the Channel's Association has forced the exhibitors to withdraw their protest. Then many rushed to AVM and requested to give the film on MG basis. Finally AVM Saravanan has come out successfully from this deadlock created by the exhibitors.