46 from indie film industry demand fairness, equality
Times of India | 19 November 2025
Kolkata: Two independent films by SRFTI students—one an alumnus and the other awaiting his diploma—are at the heart of a pan-Indian controversy.
Kanu Behl's award-winning ‘Agra' on Monday received limited screens, prompting 46 prominent voices from India's indie film community to demand fair and equal opportunities for such movies across India. In Kolkata, the release of Jayabrata Das's ‘The Academy of Fine Arts' is caught in controversy. These have led many to question if this is the most challenging time for indie film-makers in India, regardless of their locations.
According to the statement, signed by Anuparna Roy, Aditya Vikram Sengupta, Bauddhayan Mukherji, Devashish Makhija, Dominic Megam Sangma, Haobam Paban Kumar, Kanu Behl, Nandita Das, Payal Kapadia, Pradip Kurbah, Q , Rima Das, Ronny Sen, Shaunak Sen and Shonali Bose among others, their key concerns lay with limited screenings, morning-only or weekday-only show timings, sudden cancellations, no clarity on allotment of shows and multiplex priority to big-budget releases. The 46 signatories asked for at least one accessible evening show for every indie film, transparent screen allotment criteria, monthly or quarterly indie showcase cycles, support from cultural centres and alternative venues, and OTT acquisition that did not rely solely on theatrical success. The signed statement said, "Indian independent cinema has shaped how the world sees us. Now, we must shape a system where our own audiences can see us, too."
Despite sporadic protests on social media, Kolkata can't boast of such a collective voice in solidarity with each other. Insecurities are high and options for keeping the kitchen fire burning are limited. "Entitled producers do not pay dues but continue to announce new projects. Distributors and exhibitors worry about the constant influx of content and rely on sanction from other agencies to screen films. We can't even aspire to release their films in festive seasons because big production houses have already booked their slots. Freedom of releasing their artwork should be given to everyone," said ‘The Academy of Fine Arts' director Jayabrata Das. Getting a decent primetime show during a big release is a distant possibility despite the state order to support Bengali cinema. Some small producers, duped and harassed by multiple stakeholders, refuse to return to fund more indie projects.
Many felt it was a Kolkata problem until the latest statement in support of Behl revealed the same scene everywhere. " The grass is not always greener in Mumbai. The saga of being disappointed and disillusioned is the same," said director Bauddhayan. Q said, "To choose indie film-making is in itself challenging. The current climate, socially and politically, seems to be reaching a climactic point. Apart from a couple of states, like Kerala and Maharashtra, indie or regional films face a grave threat. In Bengal, we have been destroying the culture of critical thinking. What happened with ‘The Academy of Fine Arts' was another example of cultural callousness. Overall, as a nation, our focus on cultural capital has gone down remarkably."