Bengal and Northeast films in focus at CII Purbo Bharat Big Picture Summit 2025
Telegraph | 24 March 2025
Bengali is the fifth most spoken language in the world but there is no sustainable market for Bengali films, a leading film producer told a media and entertainment conclave on Saturday.
“Bengali is the fifth most spoken language in the world. Yet, we are unable to create a market for ourselves. It is very sad. I don’t know why we are unable to create a market for ourselves,” said Firdausul Hassan, producer and president of the Film Federation of India.
Hasan, who has produced feted films like Padatik, Aparajito and Mayurakshi, was part of a panel discussion at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Purbo Bharat Big Picture Summit 2025.
Hasan rued the dwindling number of single-screen theatres in Bengal. “The number of (single-screen) theatres has come down from 900 to just over 100... We need theatres like Nandan, where the ticket prices are ₹30 to 70; with 900 seats. It goes houseful every day. We need two theatres, modelled on Nandan, in every district. That is what we have suggested to our government,” he said.
Arijit Dutta, managing director, Priya Cinema, said big producers treated single-screen exhibitors unfairly.
“You are shutting down single-screen theatres by imposing unfair terms. We are bleeding because of poor sales but there is no subsidy. The way producers are releasing big films is disastrous. A slew of big films are released together on festival days. A single screen... can do a maximum of five shows. All producers will want their films screened. When you cannot, you don’t get the next picture,” said Dutta.
Actors, filmmakers, exhibitors, and channel and streaming platform bosses were among the speakers.
They discussed the challenges and opportunities in the evolving media and entertainment landscape, with a focus on Bengal and the Northeast.
Shashwat Goenka, vice- chairman, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, chairman of the CII’s eastern region and the summit’s chair, highlighted the media and entertainment sector’s compounded annual growth rate of 10-12 per cent.
“The creative economy is not just about... artistic expression. It is a key pillar of economic growth. It generates employment, fosters innovation and contributes significantly to India’s GDP. As India aspires to build a $100 billion media and entertainment industry by 2030, the east and the Northeast stand as critical pillars of this transformation,” he said.
Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose; filmmakers Goutam Ghose, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and actor Prosenjit Chatterjee were among the speakers. The list also included Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India; Samrat Ghosh, chief cluster officer, east, north and premium cluster, Zee Entertainment and Saugata Mukherjee, head of content Sony Liv.