2DMovie.com to acquire more film titles

2DMovie.com, a portal offering a range of Malayalam films, has set aside close to Rs 50 lakh for acquisition of film titles this year.

"The investment would go up as the demand increases," Pradeep Nair, who handles the creative aspects of 2DMovie.com, said.

The portal was launched as a platform to showcase Indian movies so that people can download them from anywhere, for a price.

"Since its launch in December 2006, the portal has been catering to a wider audience, particularly the non-resident Keralite (NRKs) from the UK and the Gulf region," said Nair.

On the acquisition of film titles, Nair said the portal buys the rights of the films from independent producers and those individuals who hold the rights of the films.

"Users can either rent a movie of their choice from the site or purchase its licence. Our concept provides for a unique and legal channel to sell new and old movies," he said.

Though the concept of marketing movies on the Internet is yet to catch on in India, the response 2DMovie.com currently receives from the clients in the UK and the gulf has prompted the brains behind the portal to mull over free distribution at a later stage.

"We would bank on advertisement revenue on the site to make the offerings free. A slew of campaigns targeted at the film buff on the websites of leading Malayalam dailies as well as Google ads have already created an awareness," Nair added.

He feels that the concept would catch on as independent filmmakers who struggle to find a distributor, and those who look for a new revenue stream would make use of the portal.

A brainchild of a team led by film producer Jesinlal James, the concept to offer movies through Internet was born when the foreign rights of award winning feature film, Oridam, was sold in Finland and released on the Internet. James and Nair were behind Oridam.

Latest titles like the award-winning Ore Kadal by director Shyamaprasad, as well as the older ones including movies made by film makers such as Aravindan, Padmarajan and Bharathan are available. Films like Ore Kadal would be available for the film buffs overseas as it is still running in cinemas in Kerala, Nair said.

While rental rates stay around $2 per movie, purchase rates hover around $9. The rates vary according to the money spent by 2DMovie.com for acquisition of the films.