The future of Vijay's Bairavaa in Kerala seems bleak as the standoff between Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation and Kerala Film Producers Federation failed to end. The Tamil film not releasing in God's Own Country will result in huge losses for the distributor, Ifar International.
Now, Ifar International has issued an ad on newspapers claiming that the exhibitors, who had entered an agreement with them over screening Bairavaa, must play the Tamil film in their theatres, failing which they would be liable to pay for all the losses suffered by the distributor.
Ifar International warns that the distributor would take the legal route to recover the losses if exhibitors fail to screen Bairavaa. "If you do not screen the picture as per the agreement it is a clear violation under the competition commission of India Competition Act 2002," the company's notice read.
Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation and Kerala Film Producers Federation have been at loggerheads over the revenue-sharing issue. As a result, the theatres, which come under the exhibitors' federation, will be indefinitely shut from Thursday, January 12.
The meeting between both the parties failed to come into fruition on Tuesday. "Kerala Theatre Federation made it clear that they will not budge from their earlier stand of parity with multiplexes on revenue sharing," journalist Sreedhar Pillai tweeted about the failed meeting.
The only silver lining for Bairavaa is that the theatres, which do not come under exhibitors federation, including multiplexes, government-owned screens and B and C theatres, will screen the movie. It means the movie will see the light of the day in about 100 screens in God's Own Country.
Vijay's previous movie Theri did an earth-shattering business. As per trade reports, it grossed about Rs 16 crore in the state. The distributor of Bairavaa was expecting the actor's latest film to get similar response from the viewers.
