What happens in ticketing companies when a film starring Vijay is releasing?

Ramesh* (name changed) had an unusual request on call one day. The caller pleaded him not to cancel the shows of the film Mersal in Pondicherry as he is traveling from a town nearby with his mother and grandmother to watch his favourite star on the big screen. The film he was talking about was Mersal, and it came in a time when a dialogue about GST from the film stirred controversy -it would be rumored that the film would be banned.

In response to the call, Ramesh took quite sometime to assure him that show is running in theatres and that his organization or him don’t hold power to cancel/ban a film. Ramesh works as a customer care executive at a ticketing website. Ask him about that particular call request he says ”Usually before Vijay’s films hit theatres we receive many calls, but this request was unusual. I remember it well because he didn’t call just once, but several times. This probably explains the fan power Vijay has.”

As Vijay’s latest film Sarkar is set to hit theatres, I find out what happens at a ticketing website before the release of his films.

After speaking to Ramesh, I asked his colleague if they were receiving any unusual calls for Sarkar, she said that the only things customers want to know now is about the early morning shows. ”Someone asked us if shows will begin at 5 am. Since we didn’t have a confirmation, we told him to wait until the bookings open online on Friday”. On a typical day before the release of Vijay’s film, the call center team receives several calls from eager fans – with over 7-8 people attending them. ” ”Fans who loved Mersal are waiting to watch him in Sarkar” says another executive.

Cho (name changed) a member of the technical/IT team went on to say that they work all day and sometimes pull an all-nighter to ensure/resolve a technical error. ”Sometimes, cinema owners decide on opening bookings before midnight. We work on it immediately. Considering it’s a film starring Vijay or other film stars, we work on it immediately.”

A person from the business team of another Chennai based ticketing website said ”when we spoke to theatre owners they quite positive and happy about Sarkar. This week, when the ‘story-theft’ issue began, one theatre owner said he isn’t worried about the film’s fate as the controversy will only add up to the film’s publicity and sales. Theatre owners are predicting the film to open to good numbers. The first two days will have fans flocking the theatres for every show. It is only after that the family crowd will come”.

Karthik Kalimuthu, a regular user of ticketing websites and a movie buff said ”So what if the film created controversy before its release? Expectations are still high on ‘Aalaporan Tamizhan’ Vijay. He has a bigger fan base now since he is talking about social issues. I am waiting to watch A. R. Murgadoss and Vijay’s magic. Most importantly I am waiting for bookings to open”.

Earlier this year, Kaala opened to record-breaking sales at several ticketing websites. Will Sarkar be Vijay’s biggest blockbuster? Let’s wait till 6th November when the film is finally out.