Single-screen theatres screening Bengali films are on the brink of closure in Kolkata. Once-famous and historical theatres like Sree, Globe, Ujjala, Orient, Jyoti, Tiger, Roopali and Purna have closed down for good. The story goes back when in 2001, during the Kolkata Film Festival, most of the cinema theatres in the entire State observed a three-day bandh. The people behind the bandh were members of BMPEU Theatres’ (Bengal Motion Pictures Employees Union) militant union. Their primary demands were a new salary structure and proper maintenance and supervision of the cinema halls in the State. Their demands, they insisted, were motivated by dwindling audiences for Bengali cinema.

“Four years ago, I bought over Annapurna cinema in Sonarpur. I found that the staff was running it without bothering about maintenance, modernisation and upgrading of infrastructure. Jagat cinema at Sealdah closed down because the owner, Mr. Jagat Sen, was too old to look after the business. If conditions like this continue, every single-cinema hall owner will close down the minute he gets the opportunity. Bidhusree, an old theatre next to Star closed down within 15 days and the front now has a board called Unique Realtors Pvt Limited,” says Arijit Dutta of Priya Entertainment Pvt. Limited which runs and owns Priya in Kolkata, Annapurna in Sonarpur, and has taken Star in Kolkata and Geetanjali at Bolpur on lease from the West Bengal Government.

Old and known theatres like Paradise, Radha and Bharati carry on a flourishing business in black-marketing of tickets right outside the theatre gates at show-time when a film is just released. Paradise has opened a separate entry to facilitate black-marketeers. But no questions are asked. Irresponsible trade unionism is another reason. Though the halls were running at massive losses, unions, some time ago, insisted on a 20 per cent bonus on salary which was counter-productive. The hall owners were forced to concede. But this made it difficult to improve the infrastructure. The multiplexes are of no use because they are targeting the non-Bengali rich. No middle-class Bengali will go to a multiplex to watch a Bengali film paying gate money of Rs.200. For Bengalis, watching films is a social experience. They like to watch movies in twos or threes on in groups. “They simply cannot afford such high ticket rates,” says Arijit.

Virendra Singh Marya, Regional Director, Director (East), and INOX Leisure Ltd. with six properties under his direct supervision, does not agree. “We do have commercial Bengali releases like Dashta Dosh, Chirodini Tumi Je Amar, Bhalobasha Bhalobasha and Tomar Jonye etc. at our Burdwan and Durgapur properties. The response is overwhelming. We have organised interactive sessions with Rahul-Priyanka (Chirodini Tumi Je Amar) and Rituparna Sengupta (Chaturanga) to Burdwan. Bengali films are priced at much lower rates than the Bollywood releases. Right now, we are running shows of Antaheen and the takings are very good.”

“The State Government charges 10 per cent on all Bengali films and 30 per cent on films in Hindi and English. I suggest a differential tax structure that will go a long way to motivate theatre owners to screen Bengali films. If the State Government makes all Bengali films tax exempt at point of release and thereafter, we can spend the amount saved on maintenance, modernisation and sophisticated equipment. It can bring down the tax slightly for Hindi and English films to 20 per cent. Since the Government will stand to lose, it can recover this by levying higher taxes on multiplex theatres such as 20 per cent on Bengali films and 50 per cent on Hindi and English films. This will not affect the footfalls as affluent non-Bengalis who are ready to buy a ticket for Rs.200 will also pay Rs.250 for the same film. It is necessary for the state government to put up a monitoring system as a check so that the money released consequent to tax exemption is actually spent on maintenance,” explains Arijit. Right now, the State Government has no monitoring system. It seems busy pampering multiplexes that represent the corporate sector.

Arijit pioneered the system of multiple screenings of different films for each show. This increased footfalls. But the fact remains that if the government does not help through monitoring, single-screen theatres may either close down completely or show the door to Bengali films, according to Arijit. Hope arrived when recently, Indira cinema got a new lease of life with massive crowds lining up to watch Chirodini Tumi Je Amaar projected through the new QUBE technology without any change in the quality of projection. Right now, the cinema is screening Kaushik Ganguly’s Jackpot.