Oscar buzz raises hopes of swell in movie viewership

Chennai: The extended Pongal weekend may be seen as a prelude to the Oscar season as the award nominations, which were out on Thursday, are likely to generate a buzz around new releases.
“Oscars have a lot of credibility in the country and the big studios cash in on it by timing the release of the films which are in the race for the Academy awards,“ says Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of PVR Pictures.The group which has been hosting a special Oscar festival has slotted it this time in January-end.
While some of the frontrunners like `The Martian', `Bridge of Spies' and `Mad Max: Fury Road' were out months ago, others like `Spotlight', `Room', `The Big Short' and `Carol' are yet to hit screens. Distributors may now capitalize on their nominations for limited screening.Some exhibitors like Sathyam may even choose to re-release films like “MadMax: Fury Road“ for their Oscar appeal.
Of course, the overwhelming favourite is Leonardo De Caprio's survival epic `The Re venant', but movie buffs may have to wait a while for this one.They could instead begin their feast with two other contenders `The Danish Girl' and `The Hateful Eight' that will release today .
Both films, though not frontrunners for best picture, will also serve as a pointer to how the censors will treat other upcoming critically-acclaimed releases.
`Danish Girl' which has bagged four nominations including best actor for Eddie Redmayne's act as a transgender pioneer may come across as path-breaking not only for its content but for its liberal censoring here. “The press preview was interesting as the film was shown with frontal nudity which is quite unheard of in India. For `The Hateful Eight', too, I have heard the gory scenes have been retained,“ said Mumbai-based film critic Tanul Thakur.
The Tarantino extravaganza, `The Hateful Eight', which got three nominations but has missed out on best picture, is also being talked about, as the last of the works shot on 70mm film. If its violent scenes make it past the censors, it may be an indication of how frontrunner `The Revenant', with 12 nominations, will be treated.
“Both the films are technically and stylistically brilliant and made for the big screen. It is important that the brutality and suffering of the characters are not chopped as it will take away from the experience of the film. I hope the censors will be kind, otherwise as in the past I have to watch the films twice, once at the theatre and then on Blu-Ray dics,“ said film director Ashwin Saravanan.
In previous years, films like `The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013) and `Django Unchained' have seen indiscriminate cuts. So, maybe, it would be better to temper expectations.