West Bengal government makes Bengali films mandatory for prime time

The West Bengal government on Wednesday (August 13) mandated compulsory prime time shows/screenings of Bengali throughout the year on a daily basis in all the cinema halls and multiplexes in the state.

“In every Cinema hall, and in all screens (each screen) of every Multiplex situated in this State, 365 (Three hundred and Sixty Five) prime time shows/screenings of Bengali films shall mandatorily be held throughout the year, with at least one Bengali show per day for all 365 days during the year. Explanation: Prime time shows shall mean shows held between 3:00 PM to 9.00 PM,” stated the notification.

It further stated that the necessary amendment to the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation of Public Exhibitions) Rules, 1956 will be made in due course.

“This order shall come into immediate effect and will remain in force until further orders,” added the notification.

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Meeting held under CM’s instructions

The development comers days after a decision to reserve 50 per cent or more prime time slots in theatres and multiplexes across the state was taken at a meeting by state minister Aroop Biswas at the directive of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with producers, filmmakers, exhibitors and distributors.

The move comes in the backdrop of a longstanding demand Bengali film industry regarding the difficulty faced by Bengali film makers in getting prime time slots for their movies in theatres despite the regulations mandating exhibitors to screen Bengali films for minimum 120 shows per year.

The ongoing assertion of linguistic identity comes following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call for a “second language movement”.

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Release clash of Bengali and Hindi movie

As for the issue regarding the screening of Bengali movies in the State the immediate trigger seems to be the clash of release dates of upcoming Bengali film Dhumketu and Hrithik Roshan’s big-budget Hindi film War 2, both of which will release on August 14.

The distributor of War 2 had allegedly demanded that the movie be allotted all four shows in single-screen theatres across the state, sidelining the regional release.

Earlier, state’s Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim had set a deadline on August 8 for business establishments in the city to display their names in Bengali alongside other languages of their choice within two months. He warmed that failure to comply with order would result into the signboards being pulled down. The use of Bengali in signboards has also been mandatory by the municipal corporations of Siliguri, Durgapur, and Asansol.