Friday heralds tension. The line may seem a direct lift from a sun sign column alright, but it's not. It's a fact that those related with the film world live with. Every other Friday decides the fortune of a tribe of people that prefers to stay in the shadows - the film distributor. And yet, Vinay Choksi of VIP Enterprises, claims that Fridays don't scare him."They excite me yes, but tension naah," he says, despite the crores at stake. Not surprising though, as Choksi is the biggest film distributor in Mumbai. The word tends to bore people but there is more to film distribution than just distribution. "We buy films from the film maker, hire theatres and run them in cinema houses," says Choksi, simplifying his job.A job that is learnt through experience - that is often passed down generations as an inheritance. Choksi's father was a film distributor and their company - VIP Enterprises - has been around for more than 25 years. He literally grew up with the business.He has also imbued certain basic rules that guide him through his day. Of cardinal significance are the film makers (that is the producer and director) and the stars. But sometimes even that does not guarantee success. "If I knew what's going to run, I wouldn't leave anything in the market for anyone else," says Choksi. He gives the example of Raj Kapoor productions' Prem Granth. A banner of repute with a heavyweight star cast (at that time Madhuri Dixit meant a hit), it had distributors flocking to it. "But it was a move that backfired badly," says Choksi. "The trial reports of the film were good and we were so confident about its success that we didn't cover our risk. Koyla was a similar case," laments Choksi. But every loss has a silver lining and Choksi has also distributed films he thought wouldn't run - and did. "We didn't expect Ram Jaane or for that matter even Judaai to run as well as they did," he says.So is film distribution a case of taking a shot in the dark, blindly hoping that you will hit the target. Not really. In spite of everything a big banners is still a safe bet. "If the film makers are reputed names like Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai or David Dhawan, we don't insist on the storyline," says Choksi. But in other cases the story helps the film sail through. "Raj Kumar Santoshi's China Gate has no hero as such, yet we're distributing it. Yash Chopra is associated with family films, David Dhawan with comedy. We know that they would make good films, generally," he says, "The chances of a new film maker to make it big are bleak."As are the chances of new ideas. "Action films have a limited run but family subjects could mean a fair run at the talkies anytime," says Choksi, in the midst of signing agreements and talking of the VDIS scheme. Knowledge of the market enables the distributors to make suggestions to film makers on their projects. "We make suggestions but we can't interfere in the project," Choksi stresses.Sometimes that is not such a good thing. His company has been compelled to release and run flops like Sanam and Zameer because "we were involved in the film financially", he says, laughing at his mistake. Laughter that comes easy as instinct makes success. And Choksi has that intangible something. Ram Teri Ganga Maili is his company's biggest hit and Judaai and Border are their latest successes. Check out some of his forthcoming releases: Kirti Kumar's Aunty No 1, Boney Kapoor's Pukar and Venus' Dhadkan and Josh. Despite the banners Vinay Choksi relies on his secret formula: he keeps his fingers crossed, till the release.
