In an age when marketing geniuses are able to create great hype over even the dumbest and silliest of films made by people not even having an iota of idea about how powerful cinema can be if the medium is used creatively, very often films with good concepts and interesting execution fail to reach people across the spectrum just because they are too cash-strapped to utilise the strength of publicity.

This is exactly what Kailashnath J Koppikar and Subhash Chheda have set out to change. And that is why they have set up Rudraa Entertainment, which, among other things, is slowly buying rights of acclaimed artistic cinema, short films, documentaries and even TV serials in Hindi and regional languages for worldwide distribution in the form of DVDs and CDs.

Focus on e-tailing
Chheda, who also single-handedly has prepared what is probably the most-exhaustive CD-ROM on Indian cinema, says the business model of their passionate venture is based on all possible aveneues – from retail stores to word-of-mouth publicity – but the focus of it is on e-tailing, through Rudraa’s own website as well as through some prominent e-commerce sites like rediff.com, ebay, indiaplaza (formerly fabmall) and futurebazar. And he is getting the hits.

And why not – with rights for some innovative products like the 2-DVD set Master Strokes which has the diploma films made or acted in by Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students who became famous directors or stars in later years, award-winning films from various parts of the country, acclaimed documentaries and memorable TV serials like Amol Palekar’s Kacchi Dhoop, it is only a matter of time before the venture achieves its critical mass, says a confident Chheda.

Passion for films
Ask what is on offer from Rudraa, Chheda, a businessman with a passion for cinema, and he reels of names of films of which the company has bought rights, all acclaimed ones – K S Sethumadhavan’s Marupakkam (Tamil), Girish Kasarvalli’s Naseeruddin Shah-Dipti Naval starrer Mane (Kannada), Amol Palekar’s Akriet (Marathi), Girish Karnad’s Kanooru Heggadithi (Kannada), Goving Nihalani’s Hazar Chaurasi Ki Maa (Hindi), Anand Patwardhan’s War & Peace… the list goes on.

 “Our mission is take these very interesting films to people. There is a sizeable market for regional and artistic Hindi films now, what with the viewer taste changing all over the country with the easier access to all modes of entertainment.  The only thing required is an avenue through which people can access these gems. Earlier, it was difficult to get regional films in another part of India, but with Internet reaching all corners of India, it is now possible for a film buff in some remote town in the North-East to get his own copy of DVD or VCD of a film from Southern India or Maharashtra he wants to watch,” says Chheda, whose earlier CD-ROM Indian Cinema - A Treasure is actually a treasure trove of information about the country’s rich cinematic history.

Chheda is particularly proud that FTII selected Rudraa for the Master Strokes series distribution, particularly as the two-disc set has films that showcase the first-ever screen appearances of actors like Jaya Bhaduri, Smita Patil and Danny Denzongpa and first directorial ventures of Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Girish Kasaravalli, Kundan Shah and Rajat Kapoor, all in their diploma films as students of the premier film school of the country.

 “It is indeed a collector’s item, with 20 diploma films showcasing the talents of people who grew into leading lights of the Indian film industry. It provides a glimpse into the early thinking process of these film personalities,” he says.

 That the films in the set are not mere students films is underlined by the fact that each one of them won national or international awards. Kacchi Dhoop is another product that he is quite worked up about, as the Amol Palekar-directed serial had provided the first acting platforms for director Asuthosh Gowariker and actor Bhagyashree.

Master strokes
 “With a focus on the best of Indian and world cinema for the discerning viewer, Rudraa has a small but quality catalogue. These include classics like Shyamchi Aai, Bangarwadi, Akriet, and Vastupurush.

We have introduced two new series to make quality films easily accessible. While Modern Classics has award-winning regional films with English subtitles, the Thinking Man series offers award winning documentaries, short films and experimental films,” says Chheda, who is combining on-ground retail with online marketing quite effectively.

Rudraa is definitely one among the several efforts towards making people’s access to interesting cinema easier, but at the same time, its focus on regional cinema and documentaries set it apart from others in many ways than one.