Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: 1 still playing in Toronto due to high demand

When director Mani Ratnam’s latest film _Ponniyin Selvan: 1_ , based on the epic Tamil novel of the same name by Kalki, opened in Canada last month, it played at what can be considered Canada’s most prestigious theatre – the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto. It remains in such high demand in Toronto that it is still playing there. _PS:1_ marks the first time that TIFF, a non-profit film club that stages the annual Toronto International Film Festival, has shown an Indian commercial film from the same day as its theatrical release worldwide. A TIFF spokesperson told Firstpost, “The audiences have been buying up tickets in batches, we have great sold-out screenings. Currently, it’s mostly Tamil audiences, but we hope a diverse audience will also discover the film. It’s just been tough getting hold of tickets.” For KW Talkies, the sole distributor of the film in Canada, it’s their biggest hit to date. Saleem Padinharkkara, the founder and CEO of the company, says, “Even now, the pre-booking for PS:1 is way higher than the actual collections for the new Diwali releases. That’s phenomenal, we’ve never seen anything like this before.” But beyond that high-profile showcase at TIFF is the strange reality that the original Tamil version hardly played in other cinemas in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA. With Canada, particularly Toronto, being home to one of the largest Tamil diasporas in the West, it would seem natural that theatres would compete to show a long-awaited blockbuster, especially after losing a lot of business during the pandemic. Canadian multiplex chains like Cineplex agreed to screen the Hindi and Malayalam versions, but Padinharkkara struggled to find exhibitors who would show PS:1 in Tamil. The problem stems from a string of unsavoury events over the past few years at mainstream theatres showing Tamil films. The incidents of vandalism and violence included slashed screens and pepper spray directed at viewers. Allegations of sabotage by exhibitors and criminal gangs who want a monopoly on showing Tamil films have been reported in Canadian media. After a string of attacks, Cineplex stopped screening Tamil films in 2016, unwilling to shoulder further risk.“Magically the attacks stopped after that, which leads everyone to believe that they were primarily focused on making sure Cineplex stops programming these movies,” says Padinharkkara, and adds, “This is a pattern that has been very successful for whoever is doing this and unfortunately the victims are the movie loving communities from south India as they are asked to watch these movies in substandard theatres at exorbitant prices.” There have been some arrests related to the previous attacks, but Padinharkkarasays the threats are an ongoing problem. Desperate to find screens for PS:1, he approached independent theatres like Hyland Cinemas in London, Ontario, whose co-ownerMoira Adlanagreed to cancel other bookings to accommodate the film. “We’re an international cinema and we try to support the different communities so that they have access to films in their own language,” says Adlan. She recounts receiving threats after scheduling PS:1 and having to arrange for extra security at her theatre. “The optics of someone walking into my cinema with the intention of harming my staff or my audience is a scary thing to have to deal with as a theatre owner.Nobody should have to operate under those conditions. It was a wonderful experience playing it other than the fact that you’re terrified everyday that something would happen,” says Adlan. Padinharkkara, who started KW Talkies in 2019, won the Canadian theatrical rights for PS:1 from Lyca Productions by promising them a share of the profits. “If PS:1 didn’t work out we would have gone out of business, plain and simple. I have to thank Lyca because they stood by us during this whole release and not every producer does that,” he says. Padinharkkara wants Indian producers to encourage distributors like his company to ensure wider releases of their films in Canada. KW Talkies managed to release PS:1 in 39 theatres across Canada and is trying to expand it to more screens in the Toronto area as demand is still strong. “I think this movie could be a turning point and it’s just a matter of time before Tamil movies will come to large cineplexes in the GTA,” Padinharkkara says. Movie fans in Canada will hope he is proved right before PS:2 arrives next year. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.