1 Bengali film must in all state cinemas between 3pm & 9pm
Times of India | 14 August 2025
Kolkata: All theatres in Bengal, single-screen or multiplex, will have to screen at least one Bengali film during the 3 pm to 9 pm prime time throughout the year, the state govt has said in a notification.
"Our CM has come up with this directive to promote Bengali language and Bengali film industry. Till now, 12 pm to 9 pm was considered prime time and so Bengali movies were slotted at 12 pm. Now, we have changed the prime-time slot from 3 pm to 9 pm," minister Aroop Biswas said on Wednesday. He explained that instead of the earlier requirement of screening 120 Bengali films a year, each screen will now screen at least one Bengali movie daily.
Information and culture minister Indranil Sen called it a "historic day not only for cinema but for the revival of Bengali asmita and culture".
| Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataFilm industry seniors said the landmark decision will expand the market for Bengali cinema and encourage new producers to invest in Bengali content. It will also be a litmus test for Bengali films and determine if they can attract viewers when given favourable showtimes.
"This is a much-needed decision for our industry. This initiative will allow the audience to decide when it is most convenient for them to watch a Bengali film," said actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.
Actor-politician Dev said the notification was a "significant win for the Bengali film industry". He said when he met CM Mamata Banerjee in Ghatal recently, he had informed her that his 10-year-old film ‘Dhumketu' was not getting shows. "Not only does the state govt organise the Kolkata International Film Festival it also supports Bengali cinema and provides us with a level playing field to showcase and prove the merit of our films. I thank our CM for helping the cause of Bengali cinema," he said.
Multiplex audiences have for long complained about the absence of Bengali films in popular late afternoon and evening slots while directors have expressed frustration that despite positive reviews their films are often removed from prime slots after only three days.
"Assigning a noon show to a Bengali film resulted in unflattering footfall, leaving us with nothing to present to our producers. The state's decision is a positive development. If independent films are given fair slots, without monopolisation by any production house, it will encourage more producers to invest in Bengali cinema," said actor Rituparna Sengupta.
Bengali filmmakers have repeatedly complained that Bollywood, Hollywood, and major South-Indian productions manage to secure favourable screening slots and accused distributors of coercing exhibitors to allocate all shows during a film's release week to their major productions, threatening to withhold year-round content otherwise.
"The notification erases any scope for ambiguity and streamlines the way forward for all of us. It is a rule of the land and we will follow it," said distributor Pritam Jalan, whose company has been distributing major Hindi releases in Bengal for the past seven decades.
Distributor and exhibitor Satadeep Saha said, "It is good experiment for Bengali cinema. We have been told the situation will be reviewed after four months.
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