Screen Marathi films or pay up Rs. 10 lakhs, government tells Maharashtra theatres
8:25 AM
Posted by Fenil Seta
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Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 21, 2023)
Maharashtra’s cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar announced that a fine of Rs. 10 lakh will be imposed on movie theatre owners if Marathi movies are not screened for at least four weeks in a year. According to artistes, this is a welcome move.
Shreyas Talpade is of the view that Marathi films should be given priority in the state. The Poshter Boyz (2014) actor says unlike Hindi films, where the opening weekend itself brings in Rs. 20-30 crore, Marathi films “don’t have much funds for promotions” and depend heavily on word of mouth. “This is why they need more time in theatres,” he reasons.
Chandramukhi (2022) actor Amruta Khanvilkar says, “Our audience consists of people who do 9 to 5 jobs. When they want to watch a film in a theatre [after work], they don’t find convenient timings. I think people are not coming to theatres because they don’t find the right shows. This is a welcome move.”
Theatre owners say the earlier rules were that at least 120 shows had to be screened. “It means a minimum four shows daily for a Marathi film. They have now made it more stringent. In our theatres, Marathi films play at prime time slots (between 12 pm to 9 pm). If the government wants to penalize someone who isn’t following it, that is fine,” says Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, PVR INOX Limited.
However, not everyone is happy about these new rules. Joginder Tuteja, trade analyst, says this decision “doesn’t make any sense”. “It’s like a quota system that exists in jobs, etc. You can reinforce this in the government sector, but when you do it in privately owned businesses, then what you are doing is restricting them from doing their business which I am not in favour of.”
Exhibitors, too, aren’t happy with this decision by the Maharashtra government. Akshaye Rathi feels it should only be about the films which the audience is keen to watch. “If people want to watch a film, why will theatres not showcase it and earn money? Sometimes Marathi films get lopsided heavy showcasing, and vice versa. I truly think if we want businesses to prosper, rather than penalizing theatres, the idea should be to incentivize a local industry. There are subsidies for the Marathi film industry anyway. The cinemas would feel the pinch especially in times where we are emerging from pandemic times,” he shares.
Sachin Pilgaonkar, actor-filmmaker:
Marathi films find it very difficult to find good shows in Maharashtra itself, which is the only place where those films release. The government is making the situation better [by imposing the fine].
Shreyas Talpade, actor:
What happens is, Marathi films pick up pace only in the second week; the first week goes in increasing word of mouth. If these films do a certain amount of business, prime time slots should be retained for Marathi films, too.
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This entry was posted on October 4, 2009 at 12:14 pm, and is filed under
Akshaye Rathi,
Amruta Khanvilkar,
Bollywood News,
Joginder Tuteja,
Rajender Singh Jyala,
Sachin Pilgaonkar,
Shreyas Talpade
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