Branding for content films extremely important: Tannishtha

Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee feels lack of branding hampers the prospect of content-driven films at the box office as audiences fail to distinguish between the good and the bad.
The 35-year-old actress says lack of awareness about good content movies results in the audience choosing to watch a mainstream potboiler because it at least guarantees the entertainment value.
"Sometimes the problem with these (content) films is that there is no distinction for the audience to understand which is a good film and which is not. That is why they dismiss it and watch a potboiler as they feel if there is star value then at least there will be entertainment," Tannishtha told PTI during a visit here.

"That is why certain branding is important. The National Film Development Corporation (NFCD) has a branding having made iconic films like 'Mirch Masala' and now 'Chauti Koot', 'Lunchbox' and 'Masaan'. So, that branding needs to grow."
Tannishtha's upcoming film "Island City", which marks the directorial debut of Ruchika Oberoi, has been produced by NFDC. The actress says even the government in India should step up like they do in other countries, and back more of such projects.
"I request NFDC to grow in their branding and tie up with the government and showcase the films and figure out how to reach the audience. Everywhere in the world the government supports arts and cinema. We have those options here but they are not tying it together."

Tannishtha's "Island City" co-star Vinay Pathak says despite the Indian film industry being so huge, the percentage of filmmakers trying to make and support content-based films are not high, which is sad.

"There is nothing wrong with mainstream. It is fantastic as it is bread and butter for the industry. Our film industry is very self reliant that way. But the percentage of people supporting films like 'Island City' is not high. It needs support from the industry."
For both Tannishtha and Vinay, "Island City" is a passion project and they are hoping that the film strikes the right chord with the audience.

"It is a passion project for all of us. We really believe in the the film. We wanted it to be as good as the script and I think it has gone beyond the script," the actress said.
Vinay added, "It is said that only 90 per cent of the script comes in the film but in this case 110 per cent of the script has been shown in the project."
Tannishtha, whose last release was "UnIndian", is gearing up for "Island City" to hit theatres this Friday. The actress's film "Parched" is also set to release this September.
"I am having quite a back-to-back release phase. Besides 'Island City and 'Parched', I also star in 'Lion', which will release at the end of this year. I can't talk much about the film but Nawazuddin and my segment is set in India. It is the only portion not there in the book and so it is a surprise."

The actress is also set to star in a biopic which is based on India's first female doctor's life
Vinay's next release post "Island City" is "Chidiya".