The United Producers and Distributors Forum held a press conference at JW Marriott, where Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan shared centre stage to express to the audiences their regret about film industry's inability to release films in national multiplex chains. It was announced that producers and distributors have voluntarily come together to hold back the promotion and releases oftheir forthcoming films in national multiplex chains, until an understanding is reached with the chains on equitable playing terms and until the chains rectify various irregularities that they have been engaging in.

All the major corporate studios and independent film production houses announced the. postponement of their releases in the national multiplex chains indefinitely.

This decision has been reached to protect the fraternity from the uncertainty they have been facing every Thursday before a release. The national multiplex chains had formed a pattern of collectively not closing the terms until the very last moment by which time there was so much money riding that the producer/distributor invariably had to succumb to their demands. In the case of Aa Dekhen Zara, the national multiplex chains crossed all boundaries of reason when they decided to not play the film at all, at any terms, which left the entire film fraternity shocked and outraged.

Eros's decision to stand by the fraternity and only release Aa Dekhen Zara through single screens and select independent multiplex cinemas further strengthened the resolve of the fraternity to stand up against injustice. This incident reinforced the need to find a long term solution to this recurring problem.

Some of the films that were slated for release this summer but are now being held back are Kambakkth Ishq, Love Aaj Kal, Kal Kisne Dekha, Jashn, Luck, Aladin, Kaminey, Main Aur Mrs Khanna, New York, Shortcut - The Con is On, Wanted - Dead or Alive and Life Partner. The film fraternity wants to assure the movie going audiences that they are committed to entertaining them and in the meanwhile are continuing to shoot and invest in making films.

In this struggle for Justice the producer and distributor's forum has the whole hearted support of the film industry's five lakh strong worker's union. We appeal to the single screen exhibitors who have always been our steady partners to bear with us and stand by us at this moment of crisis.

The unanimous plea from the entire film fraternity to the audiences is that please stand by for as long as it takes and be supportive of our predicament until we find a long term solution to all the various issues.

BollywoodHungama.com

BH Archives is an initiative of Bollywood Hungama to re-present some of the classic interviews and memorable events that we've recorded in the past. In the third episode, we bring to you the unforgettable press conference when Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan came together to give their support to the producers in their tussle with multiplexes in Mumbai on April 7, 2009. Check out as SRK and Aamir gave some very interesting replies to the questions posed by the media.

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