State norm for prime-time theatre slots for Bengali films debuts today
Times of India | 22 August 2025
Kolkata: The new rule of slotting at least one prime-time show, between 3 pm and 9 pm, to a Bengali film at all screens in the state will have to be implemented from Friday. While the move will ensure lesser-known Bengali films secure programming slots, show allocations may get complicated as many Bengali producers and distributors avoid state-wide releases or do not give films to all theatres. Almost all theatres and multiplexes in the city have already implemented the govt notification.
Currently, six Bengali films — ‘Dhumketu', ‘Tobuo Bhalobashi', ‘Dear Maa', ‘Putulnacher Itikatha', ‘Goodbye Mountain' and ‘Bhutopurbo' — are screening in Kolkata. While Kaushik Ganguly's ‘Dhumketu' is being screened at 160 properties in Bengal, Rabindra Nambiar's ‘Tobuo Bhalobashi' has also got prime-time shows at many multiplexes here. A committee formed by minister Aroop Biswas, comprising Tollywood stakeholders, convened a meeting to determine how to prevent Bengali films from competing against each other at the box office. "Four Bengali films are slated for puja release. Future festival releases will be decided at the coming meetings," said ‘Dhumketu' distributor Satadeep Saha.
Distributors of ‘Dhumketu' might have had decided on release choices before the govt had issued the notification, but the film earned the highest first-week collection in Tollywood in possibly the past 15 years, given the prime-time show clause. "This notification has given viewers the choice of watching Bengali films at suitable shows instead of Hindi movies. After two days of release, the number of shows of ‘Dhumketu' increased from 460 to over 550," said co-producer Rana Sarkar. Navina cinema's owner Navin Chowkhani said, "This notification puts an end to any dadagiri of Hindi movie distributors at Bengal's cinemas. With Bengali movies doing phenomenally well, I am screening ‘Dhumketu' at all three shows.
" But some theatres are yet to show Bengali films in prime time. Among such a hall is New Empire, where all four shows are devoted to ‘War 2'. "Some theatres in Kolkata, such as Pradip, Society and Moonlight, have no taker for Bengali films. We have been told exceptions will be considered for them. New Empire is not showing ‘Dhumketu' but it did not refuse to screen it. We had talks about film's New Empire screening before the notification was issued, and back then, we had decided against it. In future, no exhibitor will refuse to release a Bengali film in prime time," said distributor Saha. "At the same time, no distributor can refuse to release a Bengali film at a theatre if an exhibitor wants it.