Will there be legal Home video for Tamil films?

KS Ravikumar made a very pertinent statement recently at the audio launch of Rowthiram.

The veteran director made an open confession when he said "I watched Jiiva's Ko twice- once in the theatre and the other on a pirated DVD at home".

Ravikumar made it clear that in India it is impossible to get legal DVD’s and CD's of most Tamil releases. Tamil is the only industry which does not come out with legal home video DVD and CD’s. The director echoed the feeling of many others in the industry.

The main reason is that home video rights are taken away by the Tamil channels mainly owned by politicians. They buy the television rights and along with that the DVD rights. But they will not allow DVD to be released as they feel it will affect their TRP's when the same film is shown on television.

The home video market is the fastest growing segment in the Indian entertainment industry.

Today the concept of 'the living room multiplex' is catching on in India and particularly in Tamil Nadu and

the home video market is all set to boom. In Hollywood the revenue from home video is twice the theatrical while in Bollywood it is 15 % of theatrical collections but growing at a steady rate.

Now with the winds of change blowing across Tamil film industry let us hope the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) will usher in a new era.

They should ensure that Home Video is available atleast 50 days after a film's theatrical release.