I am a master in India

Chapter 173 Guaranteed Profit without Loss
When the film crew returned to Mumbai, Ron made a special trip to visit the set.

More than half a month has passed since they parted ways in Uttar Pradesh, and he still misses Urmira quite a bit.

"Ron!"

Sure enough, as soon as she entered the studio, Urmila exclaimed with joy.

She dropped her script and rushed to Ron's side. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she was also mindful of the crew.

She was very bold, even in the isolated countryside of Uttar Pradesh.

When Urmira arrived in Mumbai, a place rife with gossip and news, she became more cautious.

Ron ignored all of that. He hugged the little girl affectionately and whispered a few words in her ear.

Only after Urmira's face turned red and her eyes welled up with tears did he pat her slender waist, signaling her to go and get busy.

Ron completely ignored the gossipy eyes in the studio.

What, as the sugar daddy, isn't it only natural for him to sleep with the female lead?
The only person who might mind is probably Manisha, who is also in Bollywood.

However, the other party was filming in Chennai at the time and had no time to pay attention to this place.

Through Ron's connections, she has also landed two roles this year, and is expected to be busy until the end of the year.

"Men really are all fickle and easily bored!" Lena retorted sarcastically.

"Honey, I haven't skimped on your portions. Just don't complain about how hot it is tonight."

"Pah!" Lena laughed and cursed.

She testified that it was indeed a bit too hot to handle.

"Looks like someone's gained confidence again after just a few days?" Mary walked over.

“Anyway, I’m not the one who begs for mercy every time,” Ron hugged her. “How’s it going in Uttarakhand?”

"I'm back alive."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

"You simply can't imagine the locals' enthusiasm for movies. Every time we filmed, the set was surrounded by farmers who wanted to watch. Even the ascetics wouldn't leave us alone."

"An ascetic?" Ron asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That's right. No matter where the film crew goes, there are always dozens of ascetics wandering around nearby. They are all hermits."

Mary explained that the ascetics who had finished their morning prayers were watching the filming of the myth, which not only blocked the passageway but also demanded to appear in the movie.

Given that many of them were dangerous individuals, the production crew dared not refuse.

"Director Schiff said that thugs from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh who have criminal records in the area can go to Uttarakhand, shave their heads, and pretend to be monks. This way, they can escape being caught by the police and also escape legal accountability."

"I remember the crew arranged a few security personnel?" Ron personally handled this matter, selecting reliable people from his hometown.

“No, there are too many of them. Director Schiff said it’s best not to have any conflicts with the locals. We’ll film quickly and leave as soon as we’re done.”

"It seems that in the future, it would be best if the local association could take care of these kinds of things."

It's fine in cities, but in rural areas, things can be really unpredictable sometimes.

Ron wanted to talk to Schiff, but he was busy filming.

This scene depicts the male protagonist mistakenly believing that his wife is having an affair with his cousin, so he drowns his sorrows in alcohol.

In this scene, the 1970s whiskey bottle used as a prop was filled with Coca-Cola, which was done to save money.

The budget for "Praise to the Mother" was limited, so water had to be added to the cola, and one bottle of cola could fill six wine bottles.

Lanka sat on the sofa, gulping down cola that was diluted to the point of being completely drunk, pretending to be extremely intoxicated.

After drinking the liquid, in order to express the character's inner distress, he threw the glass bottle forward, and the camera immediately followed.

You might think the wine bottle would smash to pieces on the ground, but that's not actually the case.

Two assistants were standing behind the camera, having already spread out a sheet to catch the wine bottles so they could be reused next time.

Wow, Ron had to give the producer a thumbs up.

These money-saving tips are the essence of cost control for film crews.

The scene isn't over yet. The male lead is now in a disco, so smoke is needed to create a dance floor effect.

However, dry ice or powder for creating smoke effects was too expensive, so the crew creatively switched to burning cow dung.

The smoke stung Lanka's eyes, and tears streamed down his face.

The producer secretly cheered, thinking that this would save them the money they would have spent on eye drops.

Damn, Ron has discovered that this producer, Agarwal, is a real talent.

This is the cigarette, isn't it?
"Cough cough." Ron couldn't stand the pungent smell of cow dung either; it was getting to his head.

Mary and Urmila had already fled outside, and Ron eventually deserted as well.

He really learned a lot; Bollywood's movie-making process is like having a cheat code.

It took almost half an hour for this scene to be filmed.

Throughout the entire process, Sri Lanka and the entire crew, including director Schiff, remained on set without leaving.

"Filming can wrap up today." During intermission, director Schiff walked over.

"What about post-production? Can we get it released next month?" Ron asked.

"No problem, I had the film that was shot earlier sent back ahead of time. We can shoot and cut at the same time, it'll be quick."

Director Schiff is very experienced, and low-budget films don't require such high level of detail, so post-production was basically done simultaneously.

In addition, the film's score is almost complete. There are a total of five songs, and the singers are quite well-known.

Lanka contributed one song, and he and Urmila sang another duet.

These songs will be interspersed throughout the film, meaning that "Indigoad" will feature five song and dance sequences. Director Schiff considers it the film's trump card; rural Indians simply enjoy watching song and dance sequences that don't require much thought.

"Are there any problems with filming the movie now?" Ron asked with concern.

"All that's left is publicity, and that's the key to our film's success," Schiff replied.

"What are your thoughts?" Ron was also involved in film production for the first time, and he preferred to hear the advice of professionals.

"We're making a religious film, so rural areas are key. My idea is to have rickshaw drivers ride around the rural North India with megaphones, announcing that the new year's biggest entertainment blockbuster is coming soon!"

"Wow! That's a great idea," Ron exclaimed.

See? That's what you call professional.

Rural areas lack electricity and cannot afford radios. This kind of human propaganda, carried by loudspeakers, is the most effective.

“But now there’s a problem: we don’t have enough funding.” Schiff shook his neck.

Ron paused, "Okay. The budget of 300 million rupees couldn't be held up in the end."

"How much more is needed?" he asked.

"In rural areas, two lakhs is about right. In cities..."

"South India is out of the question; religious films have no market there. We can just place some ads in a few magazines."

Ron never expected any box office success in South India; their target was rural Central and North India, especially the latter, where religious influence was prevalent.

For the so-called city promotion, Ron decided to ask Raj for help. He happened to be a columnist for *Screen* movie magazine; he could write a few articles and release some promotional photos.

In this way, by focusing the publicity efforts on rural areas, 20 rupees is a piece of cake.

“I’ve also contacted a few publishers. Would you be interested in meeting them, Mr. Sue?”

“Sure, I happen to be dealing with film censorship issues in Uttar Pradesh right now.”

"What was the result?" Schiff asked expectantly.

“Great news!” Ron said with a smile.

"What good news?" Mary and the others came over.

"As far as I know, several high-ranking government officials in Uttar Pradesh are devout believers in Dignitaries."

"So the film's censorship is fine?" Schiff was very excited.

Once it passes censorship, the film can be shown openly in local cinemas.

That means they can take a share of the box office revenue instead of selling the distribution rights outright.

“Not only was the censorship fine, but Uttar Pradesh also exempted us from entertainment tax,” Ron laughed.

"Wow!" Everyone became very excited.

The Indian government's entertainment tax is outrageous; it takes a cut directly from movie tickets.

For example, in Mumbai, the entertainment tax is as high as 25%. A quarter of the ticket price for every movie sold goes to the government as tax.

Uttar Pradesh is even more outrageous, taking a third of the revenue directly as entertainment tax.

Ron easily got through to the Uttar Pradesh Film Censorship Board through his second uncle, Adiyah.

Having connections back in my hometown makes things easier.

While Sur may not be considered among the top Brahmin families in Uttar Pradesh, he certainly possesses considerable influence.

Ron’s Sull Electric Appliances, in particular, became even more famous in Uttar Pradesh after being heavily promoted by his family.

The advertisements on ANA TV are playing every day, and even the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has heard of them.

Entertainment tax is negligible.

With a third less of the box office revenue share, it means Ron and his team's movie is guaranteed to make a profit.

This is why he agreed to increase the budget by 20 rupees – all for the sake of greater profits.

“I need to find a few more publishers; we’re definitely going to make money this time.” Schiff waved his hands and turned to flip through his phone book.

As directors, in addition to the initial contract fee of 30 rupees, they also have additional clauses.

If the movie becomes a hit, Ron, as the investor and producer, will also receive a substantial bonus.

This is a common practice in Bollywood, and similar incentives apply to everyone, including lead actors.

Of course, if the movie loses money, not to mention bonuses, it's uncertain whether even the actors' salaries will be paid.

Hasty, extremely hasty.

Bollywood also treats people like cattle; Sri Lanka, as the male lead, even paid tens of thousands of rupees out of his own pocket.

And those songs he sang, if the movie is well received, will definitely be released on cassette tapes.

Perhaps a record company will take notice and sell the copyright.

However, this has nothing to do with Lanka; he won't get a single penny.

All the money will go into Ron's pocket, since he's the big spender.

Well, as the patron, he plans to give Urmila some acting advice.

However, her mother called halfway through, which prevented Ron from fully enjoying himself.

When her mother asked her why she was panting, Urmila could only lie and say that she was eating spicy and sour potatoes.

It took half an hour to eat that, and it was quite strenuous.

After a satisfied Ron left, he prepared to go to the slums, where Ashish wanted to introduce him to someone.

(End of this chapter)