Hats off  to Ashutosh Gowariker and PVR  Pictures, who have done the practically unthinkable: screened an upcoming release (Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey)  for the local press in  NY,  and did  it before the press conference with “The Talent” takes place….. amazing!

This is a promising step.   Here’s hoping all others follow suit…….and soon.

Seriously.   Usually the interviews here with any actors  and directors will take place  (90+ percent of the time) before anyone  asking the questions has actually seen the film.   Resulting in the press conference/roundtables/interviews becoming something akin to an amorous teenage boy trying to  convince his uptight and chaste date to loosen  up  and at least let him have a peek at her brassiere.  

The press repeatedly try to get their subjects to give concrete details about the film, while the coy actors/directors – not wanting to give too much away before the release – speak in voluminous, gauzy  generalities and say ad nauseum “You’ll just have to see for yourself when you watch  the film.”  

Before, the fear was piracy if they allowed any copies all the way over here before the opening day.   Now, the general consensus is, it’s due to a fear of any negative comments on FB and Twitter putting a premature  spanner in the works.

But in some cases (KHJJS, Break Ke Baad,  Raavan, Peepli Live, Dhobi Ghat)   things are starting to change.

(In the US this practice is unheard of…. in fact, it’s usually the other way around… if you haven’t seen the film, they won’t let you anywhere near the talent… it’s a prerequisite to see the movie first.)