Kolkata: On Sunday, Sonarpur Dakshin BJP MLA Roopa Ganguly and Shibpur BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh jointly addressed the media, the first time since the duo was made part of a committee formed by CM Suvendu Adhikari to address Tollywood issues. Ganguly and Ghosh were at a press conference held around two movies being screened back-to-back at Nandan — Samarpan Sengupta's ‘Pratyabartan' and Jayabrata Das's ‘The Academy of Fine Arts'.
Those associated with both films, including singer-actor Silajit, actors Sourav Das, Rishav Basu and Anuradha Mukherjee, said the joint press conference reflected the change the new govt wants to bring about and underscored "cooperation, mutual respect, and unity" as the way forward for Bengali cinema.
They pointed to the decline in Tollywood, including the depleted number of films — from 800 in 2016 to 200 now. "Not just artistes, even media professionals were blacklisted if they didn't toe the line. We have to create an environment where every skilled worker can work freely," Ghosh said.
Ganguly said the new regime will let audiences, not connections, decide which films survive in theatres. "Earlier, contacts and not merit decided which film would get screening space. Now, a few days after release, viewers will give a verdict on whether they like it or not. The audience will decide which film they will watch again," she said.
As questions mount over how the industry will function, including who will decide on mandatory technicians for outstation shoots, wage structures, the role of a screening committee, and mandatory primetime slots for Bengali films, both MLAs said groundwork had begun.
"Our govt is just 10 days old. We need time to sort out issues. Everything will be tabled in front of all. For example, Nandan has a few rooms upstairs. A lot of money was spent to get PWD to do the job. But no care was taken to look after the screens or the sound system. We are doing a lot of reviews like these. We will submit a report to the CM," Ganguly said.
"Those who formulated rules that harmed the industry have been ousted. Competition Commission of India has some norms that should govern all industries in India. We will talk to seniors to ensure that proper norms are in place," Ghosh said.
Asked about Swarup Biswas's replacement, Ganguly said, "Someone impartial will be chosen."