Maharashtra government courted controversy yet again, when it revealed yesterday that it is set to enact a law making it mandatory for multiplexes in the state to screen Marathi movies in prime time slots.
<img title="File pic for representation" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/apr/Poster.jpg" alt="File pic for representation" /> File pic for representation
Culture Minister Vinod Tawde made the disclosure in the state Assembly yesterday. Replying to a debate on preservation of historical forts, Marathi language and culture, Tawde said, "We are in the process of enacting a law to make it mandatory for multiplexes to screen Marathi films during prime time."
<img title="Culture Minister Vinod Tawde " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/apr/08-Vinod-Tawde.jpg" alt="Culture Minister Vinod Tawde " /> Culture Minister Vinod Tawde
"Though there was a stipulation earlier that multiplexes should screen a specific number of Marathi films, it was not mandated that there be a prime time slot for them. I feel the Marathi films screening during prime time will allow an entire family to enjoy the movie together," he said, adding, "I think you (multiplex owners) owe it to the state where you do business and earn profit."
&lsquo;Dictatorial&rsquo; The diktat has come in for heavy criticism from filmmakers and distributors. Mukesh Bhatt, president, Film and Television Producers Guild of India, and a film producer himself, labelled the move as dictatorial. "They don&rsquo;t even consider us worthy of being consulted before taking a decision.
We also want the Marathi film industry to grow. If the government had told us about it, we would&rsquo;ve given them better ideas about how to implement it. Are we really living in a democracy?" he said. When told there are states where local language films are given preference, Bhatt countered, "Then make more theatres for us.
Do you know that out of the 10,000 theatres in the country, 6,000 are in south India? Here in Maharashtra, theatres are shutting instead." His brother, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt hailed the move and said it would keep the cultural identity, but added that the exhibition sector should be made party to the endeavour and one couldn&rsquo;t legally force down the ruling.
Rajesh Thadani, a distributor, felt this idea has been borrowed from Gujarat. "In Gujarat, the government gives Rs 15 per ticket as incentive to cinema halls when people watch a Gujarati film. This government is trying to implement the same here. This step will definitely affect Hindi films because 6 pm shows drive maximum audience to theatres," he said.
He further added, "The rule for showing Marathi films was always there, but the timing was late night. It seems the Marathi film lobby has put pressure on the government to make it mandatory (to screen them at prime time)." One voice, however, saw a silver lining. Vishal Anand, operations head, Fun Cinemas, believes this move will only augment business.
He said, "There is a need for good content and a consumer will watch it irrespective of language. Besides, there is enough room for Marathi and Hindi films. But they (filmmakers) will have to work towards providing good, marketable Marathi films to be screened during prime time," he told mid-day. Anand foresaw friction only during the release of big-ticket Hindi films.
Marathi industry says The Marathi filmmaking industry welcomed the move. Ravi Jadhav, who directed the National Award-winning Natarang, felt this widened the choice for the audience. He said, "We would never get prime-time shows. Even with odd timings for our shows, we did very well.
This (move) is victory for the audience, as they can now choose between Hindi and Marathi films. Good cinema will always stand out. It will be fair competition now." Nikhil Sane, business head, Marathi film division, Essel Vision, which produced recent commercial successes like Timepass, Kaaksparsh, added, "Marathi films have done phenomenally well at the box office and got critical appreciation too.
We are the only state that faces immense competition from Hindi and English films, unlike south and Bengali film industries. I think this was a necessary step. Once multiplexes realise this is helping them to generate revenue, I&rsquo;m sure they will have more prime time slots for Marathi films." Riteish Deshmukh, who has produced films like Baalak Paalak and Lai Bhari, termed it as a move to strengthen Marathi cinema. "This will help Marathi filmmakers make better and bigger films. I don&rsquo;t know why the (Hindi) film industry is overreacting. There seven to eight screens in a multiplex and only one screen will be allotted to Marathi films; the prime time slot ensures the films are sustainable. Hindi films are always going to be the big brother. Marathi films have a budget of just Rs 2.5 crore or so. They will definitely not compete with a Rs 50-crore Hindi film."
- Inputs from Agencies

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