South focus: Analyst Ramesh Bala says one needs to ‘genuinely care about movies’ to become a tracker

Ramesh Bala is a popular tracker and analyst who enjoys a strong fan following on X (formerly known as Twitter) because of his strong opinions. He is also known for providing box office figures in a timely manner. His updates are widely considered to be accurate. In an exclusive interview with Roktim Rajpal Diaries, Ramesh Bala opens up about his journey and the skills needed to become a tracker

Edited excerpts from the interview:

How did your journey as a tracker begin?

I was working in the US in the IT sector. In 2012, I started tweeting information about movies and box office figures. At that point, it was just a hobby.  In 2013, when I returned to India, I was invited for press shows . In 2015, I started doing it full time. 

How do you source box office figures?

Basically, I source box office numbers from distribution/production houses. They track numbers to judge the hero’s market. Then there are a few mediators in the Eventually, it is all about using your judgment to figure out what is right.

Which industry is the easiest to track?

It is easy to track Bollywood figures. Production houses release this information voluntarily. The setup is quite professional in Telugu too. Things are streamlined well. Kollywood is the middle. Malayalam is tougher. However, Kannada cinema is a bit of a black box in this regard as trade info is not available readily. 

Ramesh Bala is a popular tracker. | Credit: Ramesh Bala

How easy or difficult is it to stay objective when covering cinema?

It comes with age. You are closely associated with famous people and know them personally. As such, if you are biased then you won't be in the good books of everyone.

How do you deal with online negativity?

Basically, the key is to avoid reading too many comments. If you read too many comments that kills your mood. Ideally, you should read a few and then move on. 

What are the skills needed to become a tracker?

You need to be genuinely good at sourcing information. Moreover, you need to genuinely care about movies. An open mind helps. So does knowledge of SEO. You also need to read a lot and keep yourself updated. 

Lastly, in your opinion, who is the biggest star in the Tamil film industry?

Rajinikanth is globally the biggest name. He works primarily in Tamil so Tamil Nadu is covered, His movies do well in Telugu/ Moreover, given his background, Karnataka is a strong market. His movies do well in the US too. He is also a known name in Hindi. In fact, he was a pan-India star even before that term was coined. 

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