Should The North East Cinema Exist 2117388365

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AN 1418177 Code I-E-2117388365 93 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA [BERK.] Go gle

SHOULD NORTH EAST CINEMA EXIST •••

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A collection of seminar papers on the theme 'REVIVAL OF FILMS IN NORTH EAST REGION'' compiled by the editorial board and published by Ranjlt Das, Jt. secretary, North East Film & TV Producers'-Directors' Association, AL-AMAN, Dr. S.K. Bhuyan Road, Dighalipukhuri East, Guwahati-1, ph. 0361-2635957. E-maU : [email protected]

First Edition : December, 2006 copyright © NEFTPDA, 2006 Price Rs. 50.00 only

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Editorial Board ; Kuladakumar Bhattacharjee Hem Chandra Borah Rajan Rajkhowa Ranjit Das Binoy Kumar Kalita Ritutpal Bordaloi

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CONTENTS PREFACE / Kuladakumar BhattacharJee .... 1

Assamese cinema : A quack's prescription for survival / Apurba Sanna .... 5 CINEMA It's future in North East

Chance of revival / Chlnmoy Shanna .... 12 Cinema in Tripura is facing almost insurmountable constraints/ Dlpak Bhattacharya .... 24 The regional cinema : the dilemma and the perspective/ Gautam Bora .... 29 The Regional Cinema : a survival strategy Harekrlshna Deka .... 44 Small Cinema- -a question of survival Jahnu Barua .... 52 State Government and Assamese Film Industry/ Nazreen Ahmed .... 55 In which way the Assamese Film world Phan I Sharma .... 66 Meghalaya film frame : Freeze in time Raphael Warjrl .... 73 Seminar on film industry Slbananda Kakotl .... 77 The Role of Government In The Film Industry of Assam / Swapnanll Barua .... 79 Digitized by

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PREFACE Kuladakumar Bhattacharjee Without going into semantics let us admit cinema, in the northeast, if ever existed, is dead. A couple of interesting films emerged out of Tripura, but in the absence of a single theatre in the entire state and any other exhibition outlet it could not have a different fate. Some twenty years back Meghalaya turned out one film and that's all. Small but nationally and internationally acclaimed Manipuri cinema had to surrender to VCD films. All film theatres in the capital city of Imphal have been converted into VCD exhibition system. In Assam, where cinema is more than seventy years old, even Bollywood clones fail to attract audience these days. The unique character of cinema is its Achilles' heel. It is a performance not live, but recorded on a strip of celluloid. It is a performance in front of machines. Since the performance is not live cinema requires a second stage to face the live audience. A · machine brings the performance to a live audience. Machines all the way. Machine and raw material. The process is highly complicated and capital incentive. Investment at a time, Digitized by

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return in the form of trickles. Sale of tickets. Survival of any performing art hangs on sale of ticket, but none matches the cost of cinema. So, for cinema, trickles must form an ocean. While the investment is high business is of retail nature. As if that is not enough. Silent cinema was international, but talky is national; in a country like India it is regional. So it is the number of population of a particular language speakers that governs. Unfortunately, except Assam, cinema in north east has no chance to survive under this governing principle. A seventy-two year history suggests Assamese language cinema had a fair chance of continuance. But ... . The heartening fact is, not merely the people directly involved with cinema, but also the Assam government and several well wishers of regional cinema are seriously worried. They assembled at the Jyoti Chitraban Film (Studio) Society auditorium at Guwahati in the month of October to discuss and evolve some solution to overcome the present distressing condition. Apart from the delegates from Tripura and Meghalaya about a dozen personalities presented their papers with valuable suggestions. The seasoned film maker like Jahnu Barua who understands the reality and so proposed in Akademy for cinema in the line of the national state Akademies in India. On the other hand, I-iarekrishna Deka, a Sahitya Akaemy award reciepient and a film society activist felt audience is the solution and Assamese cinema Digitized by

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must create, the long overdue, niche market for Assamese cinema. He as well as another Sahitya Akademy award recipient and the recipient of President's Silver Medal for being · the best film journalist of the year, a few years back, Apurba Sarma agreed that Assamese cinema must have its own identity for survival. Mr. Deka also was of firm opinion that the niche market lay in the rural area of Assam where the language speakers are mostly concentrated. He also was of the opinion that low brow entertainment ought to draw styles and ideas from the local root. Senior exhibitor and chairman of the Joint Advisory Committee of the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association's Assam Branch, Phani Sharma pointed out that till October 2006 no less than fifty four cinema houses in Assam downed shutters and if the situation did not improve many more would follow. This raised a very pertinent question. After all none of these fifty four theatres depended only on Assamese films, they all used to show more Hindi films than Assamese, because flow of Assamese films was never steady. It if were so did it mean people in Assam, in general, reduced their visit to cinema hall? One wishes the question was raised. However, as if to replay young Chinmoy Sharma commen�ed cinema going was a relaxation for the audience which the houses ignored. His appeal to theatre owners was to shed their lackadaisical attitude and revamp halls in the manner of a recreation centre, Digitized by

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suiting to modem life of style. He was however not worried over light to cheap entertaining cinema. As an advocate of cinema for relaxation was not a surprise. With a future vision he even went to suggest an alternative to celluloid cinema- the digital cinema. Basically it meant digital video system with scope for transfer on celluloid and thus celluloid projection. Jahnu Barua's question to the people and the state if Assamese cinema should exist at all almost shortened the discussion. Obviously he raised the basic point. Perhaps his proposal for an Akademy for other languages of the region, has no alternative, but Assamese cinema could still give the last try to stand on its own feet with the government earnestly playing its supportive role. Delegates from the Assam government including the minister in charge of Culture confirmed in the positive and narrated how were proceeding towards it. This book is a collection of those papers. The idea of bringing out such a book is to involve more people to help in finding out the right resusciation process. We cannot let Jahnu Barua wi thdraw from the Assam scene permanently, Veteran Aribam Shyam Sarma to retire for good. We cannot let later powerful film makers of Manipur and Assam's Gautam Bora, Ehsan Mazid, Manju Bora, Santwana nordoloi, Bidyut Chakravarty, Sanjib Hazarika, Sanjib Sabhapandit and likes to peter out by our negligence. Digitized by

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Assamese cinema : A quack's prescription for survival Apurba Sanna

I Cannot claim tltls to be a paper to be read to

an august audience as gathered here and that too on a subject on which I neither have a clear perception nor a detailed study. I have only jotted down here a few points from a layman's view on the-subject. I'd be happy if these cre­ ate even a casual interest among the listeners and enthuse them to delve deeper into the more serious aspects of the subject under discussion. 01. The problem before Assamese cinema (which �ibly holds good for all the regional cinemas of the North East India), as I under­ stand it, is a problem specific to its content. The Assamese cinema today suffers from a crisis of content. Co-incidently, I venture to add, tltls is a malaise that has affected other fields of creativity in Assamese society such as liter­ ary fiction. This, as matter of fast, happens to be a perennial problem with the Assamese cin­ ema since possibly the fifties. After Jyoti­ prasad's pioneering effort in creating 'Joymati' Digitized by

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with a unique story having serious and realis­ tic socio-political contexts against the backdrop of religio-mythological contemporary Indian cinema and the inconsequential Assamese films with the patriotic themes of the forties, the Assamese cinema in the fifties got bogged down to family dramas, with little variation here and ther�, to exploit the middle class sentimental­ ity of the Assamese viewers. Later in the six­ ties and the seventies the theme changed to love-stories with always a happy ending and comic slapsticks and a few popular Bihu-based songs thrown in as crowd pullers. The main culprits in carrying contents to the limits of absurdity and turning it almost to a non-en­ tity were the commercial films on which the Assamese film industry depends for its survival. In the eighties and the nineties the Assamese commercial films looked up to the so called Bollywood in its search for lucre and started turning out Boolyw ood clones. The content was summarily given the go-bye. The saving grace for Assamese cinema w.ere the serious film makers starting with Padum Banta and with Dr. Bhaben Saikia and Jahnu Barna down the line upto the now-not-so-young gate­ crashers of the eighties and nineties. For all of them film making was a serious business not just because it inolved huge finds, but more because it relates to the filmmaker's creative Digitized by

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sensibility and so they looked for aesthetically sound, socially meaningful content within the socio-political mattix of Assamese society as the basic requirement for their creative efforts to succeed. It's this realisation of the basic need for a serious meaningful content that helped them explore successfully their creative potential and made Assamese cinema much the richer. Today production of serious Assamese cin­ ema. has, for all practical purposes, been sti­ fleci. Jahnu has begrudgingly stopped making Assamese films, possibly not without justifica­ tion. Some others are planning too high and dreaming still higher for their dreams to mat�­ ria}i+e production in the commerc�l circuit has also become flipflop. The Mumbai clone sub­ sequentlt fell flat on its face. Even the ambi­ tious big-budget film, to use the filmy bombed cliche in the box office. In this current scenario I still have a deeper belief �t people will-come to see a film if it attracts them by itself and not by the masalas of songs and dances. I'd like to refer to Renoir who initially was making unsuccessful Hollywood prototypes of French films. Only when he saw Erie von Strowheim's 'Foolish Wives', he real­ ised his folly. Renoir writes : I sensed that I should try to reach the audience through the projection of authentic images in the tradition Digitized by

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of French realism. I began to look around me and was amazed to find quantities of subjects both intrinsically French and perfectly adapt­ able to the screen.' And then he made his first successful film 'Nana' from Emile Zola's novel. To draw people to your cinema you must have a good story. The basic premise for you to start with is the content- aesthetically sensi­ ble, socially meaningful and profoundly relat­ ing to Assamese society and culture. You are mirroring a life which the audience must iden­ tify with. Or else, why should they feel attracted to it ? I believe firmly a film with a good con­ tent built up on a rythmic, plausible screen play and made with even average craftsmanship would still attract viewers. The film must cre­ ate authentic images of Assamese life and so­ ciety and make the audience realize the deeper truth of life in the reality they are living in. This is one thing today's Assamese cinema is lack­ ing in. It is immaterial whether it is a serious art film or a commercial film. What is impor­ tant for the audience is to realize that it is an Assamese film imaging the realities of their lives. One need not be a Ray or a Gapalakrishnan, one need not even win awards for his films, one only needs to make films which don't feel fake or hollow, but make one realise it is his or their story told in a beautiful way. Digitized by

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02. The other point I want to make is about the marketing of Assamese films. This again is an area where I can speak only as a layman, having little knowledge about the complexities of the film trade and the intricacies of business. Sometime back Mr. Sada Choudhary, the only Assamese film distributor worth his salt, told me in a private discussion that Assamese film producers must take upon themselves the dis­ tribution of their own films as regular distnbu­ tors ruling the industry are reluctant to under­ take distribution of Assamese films as being uncertain and less lucrative business propor­ tion. If such a possibility can be worked out it would protect the Assamese films from the caprices of the cash hungry distributors. I also see Tollygunge's decision of dubbing Bengali films into Nepali and Santhali as a very clever and effective strategy for expanding markets for Bengali films. May be sooner or later Assamese cinema will have to resort to dub­ bing in its search for newer markets in BTAD or tea-tribe dominated areas, where the grow­ ing consciousness among the tribes of their separate identities and the new social equation and the consequent pride may have causes a mental distance with their Assamese brethren. Another lesson we can take on film mar­ keting form West Bengal is exchanging films. The left Governments of West Bengal and Digitized by

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Kerala have been exchanging dubbed versions of Bengali and Malayalam films between the two states bringing mutual succour to both the industries. We may even approach the government to make arrangements with countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan for export of our films. This may, however, need a lot of clearance at legal and political levels, but if cleared, the proposition holds very good prospect for ex­ cellent returns form quality products. All these propositions, to my belief, are not only possible but highly probable, given that there are serious sustained effort in an organ­ ised manner by some dedicated for a like NEFr Producers' -Directors' Association. 03. The media, film journalists, writers also have a very positive and responsible role in enthusing people about their responsibility as viewers for helping their own cinema to sur­ vive and flourish for the total cultural enrich­ ment of the region itself. Seminars, debates, discussion, write-ups, criticisms and all sorts of media exercises should be used to make peo­ ple aware of the need to develop the habit of film-viewing. 04. The role of film societies in this context can hardly be exaggerated. In the early seven­ ties Kerala started a movement with the theme 'A film society for every township' which was · actively organised by the writers, filmmakers Digitized by

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and intellectuals. Today in. Chennai filmmak­ ers like Lenin are trying to push film society movement into the villages. Unfortunately, in Assam we have possibly only one active Cine Oub to showcase. 05. For long we have been told at different levels and in various for a about mini cinema halls. It is still p�ibly a shapeless dream. I have certain reservations about the mini cinema halls project. One q1,1estion we must clearly answer before going for a mini cinema hall project is, what films would these halls show throughout the year once the shows of the oc­ casional Assamese film is over. I'd suggest we seriously consider permitting a few touring cin­ ema units in the state. I am running out of my prescriptions of measures for revival of Assamese cinema which in any case are amateurish and theo­ retical rather than professional and practical. I am hoping to listen to some learned and more practical suggestions from those who are ac­ tually in the 'battle front'. The author is a Sahitya Akademi Awardee, short story writer has won National Award for film criticism. At present he is the editor of the Assamese daily 'AJIR ASOM'.

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CINEMA It's future in North East Chance of revival

Chinmoy Sharma FACTS AS ON TODAY

* * * * * * *

We have about 100 numbers of cinema halls in operations in Assam About 54 numbers of cinema halls have been closed during the last two years Another 20 more cinema halls may close down during A year or two There are 117 theatres per million people in the united states, while, in India the _figure is A pathetic 12.5 theatres per million India has around 12,900 cinema screens Keeping Indian average in mind, we should have at least 350 cinema halls in Assam Decrease in Assamese cinema production from 13 in 2004 to 7 in 2006 Digitized by

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WHY ARE WE IN THIS SITUATION

* VCD IS FASTER THAN PRINT: A local dis­

tributor of a Hindi film or an Assamese cin­ ema producer releases around 2 to 3 prints mostly in Guwahati. By the time the print ar­ rives in interior towns, VCD copies, mostly pi­ rated, of the same has already been seen by the viewers. There is always a hype created at the time of release of the movie which dies down by the time the print arrives in other towns and thereby directly affecting the sales. * LACK OFUPGRADATION OF CINEMA HALLS: It is known fact that most of the cinema halls are in a dilapidate condition and no family would like to visit the hall to enjoy a movie. * OWNERS' DISINTEREST: It is seen that most of the cinema hall owners are disinterested about the improvement of facilities in their halls. Most of them have different line of busi­ ness and are just content with whatever comes in from the existing cinema business as accord­ ing to them the investment for up-gradation of the cinema halls is not viable under the present circumstances. * CHANGING HABITS OF THE VIEWERS: To­ day, a prospective cinemagoer has a number of option for entertainment. At the comfort of his home, he can enjoy more than 100 TV · channels and sometimes latest movies through Digitized by

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the cable operators (mostly pirated). The habit of going to a cinema hall has vanished. LACK OF GOOD QUALITY FILMS : There are very few movies being released which has the crowd pulling effect. The quality of films has come down drastically and people are not in­ terested to see the same old formula over and over again. OUTLAW BANNED ON HINDI FILMS : In Manipur the outlaw has banned the screening of Hindi films and as a result most of the cin­ ema halls have closed down. FEAR TO GO TO CINEMA HALLS : In recent years the outlaw has been targeting the cin­ ema halls, which has in tum given a fear psy­ chosis to the cinema goers.

*

*

*

SOLUTIONS

* PRINT HAS TO BE FASTER THAN VCD : We

must take the advantage of the technology available with us today to take the benefit of the "FIRST DAY FIRST SHOW". Today more than 500 cinema halls in India have turned into dig­ ital projection with more than 50 in our neigh­ bour West Bengal only. I see no reason why Northeast cannot take this technology. UPGRADATION OF CINEMA HALL INTO EN­ TERTAINMENT CENTRE & MULTIPLEX: While taking the latest technology it is equally impor­ tant to up-grade the cinema halls simultane-

*

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ously. All cinema halls in rural areas must be up-graded into small entertainment centres and in cities the existing cinema hall should be converted in to multiplexes wherever possible. * BUILD HALLS WHERE NOT AVAILABLE: For survival of Assamese movies we need halls where the prospective cinemagoers, which are in the villages. The concept of mini cinema halls with entertainment centres is the need of the hour. * ANNOUNCE MULTIPLEX AND MINI ONEMA HALL POLICIES : Like most of the states in the country the Assam Govt. should immediately announce the Multiplex and Mini cinema hall policy so that fresh investment from national level players can come to the state. * IMPOSE ANTI-PIRACY LAW: Piracy is killing the film industry and until and unless a strict anti piracy law is imposed by the administra­ tion there is no cure for the same. The South Indian movie industry has survived after the Goondas Act was put in place. A similar law can also be put in place in Northeast. * REDUCE COST OF PRODUCTION: For viabil­ ity of regional films there is a need for cost cut­ ting which can be done by using digital tech­ nology. * IMPROVE CONTENT : Needless to say that without a good content a film can never be suc­ cessful. Digitized by

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* REDUCE EN'l'ER·fAINMENTTAX: �hap­

pens to be one of the highest entertainment Tax imposer presently charging 100% entertain­ ment Tax. We suggest that the entertainment Tax to be reduced to 15- 25% like other states or exempt the entertainment Tax totally for a period of 5 years to give a breathing space for the declining industry. * INCREASE SERVICE CHARGES: The service. charges which is applicable for all cinema halls ·should be enhanced for every additional serv­ ice the cinema halls provides, like Dolby Sound System, push back chairs, air- conditioning etc. The will give the hall owners a much required push _to invest in up- gradation of the hall. * SERVICE OIARGES FOR REGIONAL PRODUC­ ERS -: Since the proposed mini cinema hall policy will have 100% entertainment Tax ex­ emption, the opportunity of refund of enter­ tainment Tax of the regional cinema produc­ ers does not exist. The Govt. may kindly allow the regional cinema producers to collect a cer­ tain amount directly from the viewers in lieu of refund of entertainment Tax presently be. . mg given.

* LAND SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY GOVERN­

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* * * * * *. * *

ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE IN RURAL AREAS

The location should be near existing mar­ ket and easily approachable Suitable land should be provided by Gov­ ernment at reasonable rate There should be at least two multipurpose theatres between 350 to 500 seats Provision for digital and 35 MM Projection along with stage lights for staging dramas and digital sound systems To screen educational programmes for chil­ dren and adult education in the late evening and usual movies in between Progr�es relating to panchayat, agricul­ ture, health and other development activi­ ties of the Government could also be shown. Can be used as a meeting hall when required There should be shops, restaurant, ATM, cyber cafe, etc. In the ground floor and the cinema auditorium in the first floor

Goondas Act on video piracy and reduction in entertainment tax in Tamil Nadu

The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa has announced a package of wide ranging concessions for Kollywood (Tamil film industry), including application of Goondas Act on video piracy and reduction in enter­ tainment tax. Digitized by

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The package has come in the wake of a meeting of the representatives of the film in­ dustry with Jayalalithaa. To tackle one of the major problems facing the film industry, the government has decided to bring video piracy under the purview of the Goondas Act. Simultaneously, the punishment for offence for video piracy under the Copy­ right Act will now be imprisonment of six months to three years and fines of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. two lakhs. To strengthen the implementation of this act, six more anti-video piracy cells will be formed in the state policy in addition to the existing six. Cracking down on the exhibition of pirated videos on buses, the government has decided on stiffer penalties for violations. Private bus operators, who exhibit pirate videos on their buses, will now face a maximum of two years imprisonment and penalties of Rs. one lakh to Rs. five lakhs. The Tamil Nadu Exhibition of F� on Television Screens through video Cas­ sette Recorders and Cable Television Networks (regulation) Act will be amended for this pur­ pose. State Transport Corporations have been directed not to exhibit pirated videos. Conceding another demand of the film in- . dustry, Jayalalithaa has slashed entertainment tax in municipal corporations and special grade Digitized by

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municipal areas from the existing 25 per cent to 15 per cent for new films and 20 per cent to 10 per cent for old films. This will be applica­ ble to theatres within five km radius of these areas. In other areas, the compounding tax has been done away with and a simple flat rate of 10 per cent will be levied. Low budget films with themes useful for social mobilisation and propagating good values will be exempt from ET. Alternate arrange will be made to compen­ sate loss of revenue to the local bodies, which get 90 per cent of the ET receipts.

DIGITAL CINEMA-AN OVERVIEW What is Digital Cinema? Digital Cinema is a new concept of exhibit­ ing and distributing movies. It uses digital me­ dia instead of analogue media (Prints) to record, transmit and replay images. Digital Cinema uses Digital video projectors instead of ana­ logue projectors. It can store, transmit, retrieve and replay a huge amount of information ex­ actly as it was originally recorded. Traditionally for a film to be released in a theatre needs an optical print which costs Rs. 60,000.00 Therefore to release the film in 100 theatres at one time, a total of 100 prints at the cost of Rs. 60,000.00 would be required. If the Digitized by

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film does not do well, the cost of the print is not recovered, leave alone the cost of produc­ tion of the film, thus the producers, tend to take out limited prints. However, if they take out limitedJ by the time they circulate the lim­ ited prints to the theatres, film piracy and video parlours have wiped out the business of com­ mercial prospects of the said film. In our Digital Cinema System, we can dis­ tribute the film simultaneously to hundreds of theatres with no extra cost of prints. Thus the film can be exploited simultaneously in many theatres, increasing the commercial prospects of the film and if the film does not do well, it can be discontinued at a days notice, without any un-recovered investment on prints. The advantages of digital cinema are manifold and to name a few :

1. Savings in print cost : Since no investment in print is required, we do not need to import films stock, thus saving pre­ cious foreign exchange. 2. Increase in Entertainment Tax revenues : When the film is release simultaneously in many theatres, it results in increase cinema col­ lections, thus translates into increased enter­ tainment tax to the state. Digitized by

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3. Consistent good quality images :

Digital Cinema media format does not dete­ riorate with time, thus ensuring good quality images. This again results in increased box of­ fice collections. 4. Curb on piracy :

With the release of film, right down to the small towns, there is no opportunity for pirates to illegally exploit the film. This revenue leakage which would have resulted from piracy is cur­ tailed and in turn cinema collections go up re­ sulting in increased entertainment tax in the state. 5. Promotes niche cinema :

Many good art films cannot be produced due to the factor of limited audiences. Digital Cin­ ema provides an opportunity to shoot films in digital format and release the film digitally in selected theatres. These art films which do not find wide audiences can greatly benefit from Digital Cinema. 6. Promotes regional-specific films :

It has been seen that regional films are losing out to mainstream Hindi cinemas mainly due to the problems in exhibition and distribution sector. With Digital Cinema the cost of prints is eliminated, thus even local language films Digitized by

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can be produced and distributed widely with­ out any risk whatsoever. This shall give a big boost to the local film industry in the state.

7. Provides employment opportunities: With the advent of Digital Cinema, niche cin­ ema and regional language films shall be able to generate revenues, thus making the local film industry more commercially viable. This will provide employment to local artists and tech­ nicians and other film industry related infrastructural suppliers. 8. Provides new business opportunities: Ov�r the past years, small town cinemas plagued by the piracy and failure of films cou­ pled with availability of only old films have been reeling under acute economy crisis. This has seen the closure of many cinemas. How­ ever Digital Cinema shall bring the small town cinemas at par to the cinema halls in the big cities, thus providing them a second lease of life. 9. New Compact Cinemas: The advent of Digital Cinema has seen prolif­ eration of new and compact cinema houses in small towns and cities. This shall provide ad­ ditional business opportunities to local busi­ nessmen and also increase the state's revenue. Digitized by

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With our efforts and research we have de­ signed compact cinemas which can be opened for a minimum investment. Few companies who are providing Digital Cinema service are1. U.F.O. movies 2. Ad labs 3. Fun Republic- Zee TV. The author is the Director of Entertainment & IT FINER also the exhibitor of Anuradha Cinema.

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Cinema in Tripura is facing almost insurmountable constraints Dipak Bhattacharya Cinema, as we know, have started reflecting the values, interpreting life in its serious mean­ ing, analyzing the past, re-interpreting it, re­ viewing the history and widening the outlook of its viewers. It has thus become an instru­ ment in realization of the better self, which is an important aspect of cultural development. It this remote area of ours, the filmmakers too in their extremely limited res ources and through almost insurmountable constraints are persevering in their own way to see life and interpret it. The constraints with the passage of time have mounted so high that efforts of film making in celluloid for last couple of years are not happening in the soil of Tripura. With . all probability, perhaps, Tripura is the lone state in the North East region where the capital city Agartala is not having a single operative cin­ ema hall today. Theatre owners of the city of pride for its cultural background thought it Digitized by

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wise to demolish the halls for their multiplex and shopping malls to rise. And films that go a long way in achieving new or better under­ standing of ourselves failed to find a theatre for projection in the prevailing sorry state of affair. Though, exposure to new thoughts, con­ tents �d methods of films is all the more rel­ evant here. Initiating understanding the language of the film was taken by organizing film festivals every year till 2004 by a film society and group of film lovers. The Government once organized Agartala international film festival in Novem­ ber 2001, just after the Kolkata Film Festival, in collaboration with the festival authority. These endeavours undoubtedly helped the cinegoers whose appreciation of painting, music, or literature has grown more by study than by and is likely to find their method most rewarding when applied to the cinema. Th� process of film appreciation that once devel­ oped in this remote comer of North East by way or organizing Film Festivals for both na­ tional and international films has confronted today with a constraint, remedy of which is not visible in near future. Tripura, the most promising state of North East has produced by this time a considerable number of both feature and non-feature films but could not emerge as an important film makDigitized by

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ing province of the regio� !This is because of non-maintenance of steady flow of production despite of having a culturally enriched view­ ers. The root of the cause lies elsewhere. It is apathy, from both Government and non-Gov­ ernment authority towards cinema. The luke­ warm approach for cinema as it is prevalent today from the helm of affairs has been con­ sidered as one of the important factors for its unstable growth. Geographical alienation has kept us dependent in almost every aspect of our life on the Government. The government authority that once came out with a helping hand to complete the first feature film in 1986, could not formulate a policy till today related to cinema and its allied area. With the arrival of different model of video cameras the scenario of making documentary by the government agency has undergone a considerable change. The government agencies have started producing documentary by invit­ ing quotation through open tender published in leading newspapers on BETACAM and SVD format, without making avenues for screening of the finished product. In a place, where the very concept of documentation though video format seems full of ambiguity, there such atte�pts remain a matter of pre­ tension for honest cause. Digitized by

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To over come or for that matter to by pass the ever growing threat for the very existence of cinema in this remote part of north east, we, may consider few immediate steps, such as 1. All state government of North East be ap­ proached to formulate a policy on cinema with a view to encourage film makers to contribute, through their creations in the world of cinema. 2. Respective Government of the region be approached to earmark at least one theatre hall in every district headquarter for the present, to screen both national and inter­ national classics and the films produced in the state concerned, on a regular basis. This will open up an alternative projection chan­ nel for another cinema. 3. Doordarsan may come forward to produce films in no� east if required by formulat­ ing a special policy for the region. Private channels may also be approached for such finance as they used to do for the metros. 4. The cinelovers of North East may formulate a procedure to arrange screening of the films produced in the region in a particular year in collaboration with North East Coun­ cil, North Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and private players that exist in the region. This may be termed as North East Film Festival. Digitized by

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5. North Eastern Council needs to formulate a transparent policy for producing films. The concerned authority may be approached for providing fund for continuation of their activity so far as cinema is concerned, in their annual budget and distribute the fund to its constituent states. 6. North Eastern Production Centre. Doordashan, also require to formulate a transparent policy of distribution of funds among the aspirant film makers spread over the constituent states of North East, be pre­ paring a panel as prevalent in Films Divi­ sion, on the basis of experience and quality. 7. A course on Film Studies may be introduced in collaboration with Fill and SRFTI at least in University level of all the states of North East. The importan�e of such studies is need­ less to mention here. As, it is not possible for the film makers of the small states of North East to overcome the constraints alone, it is essential to confront the crisis with united effort to acquire minimum possible assistance from the concerned author­ ity. And, this can be achieved if we think united. The author is a noted filmmaker from Tripura.

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The regional cinema : the dilemma and the perspective Gautam Bora

Indian film industry is perhaps the largest in­

dustry in the world today. This large film in­ dustry has also its multiple and complex prob­ lems which needs to be discussed and under­ stood from a deeper understanding of the so­ cial realities and needs. At one end, the indus­ try has a tremendous growth in terms of capi­ tal investment, turnover, production cost and number of films produced in a year, and it is restricted to the so called 'mainstream' Bollywood films only. On the other hand the regional films are being doomed to 'death' due to the lack of investment, market and ability to produce and compete with the 'mainstream films. The condition of the Assamese and other regional language cinemas in the North-East India, is not in good shape. Though the Assamese cinema took birth, as early as in the year 1935, but the growth of Assamese cinema was at a snail's pace. After Joytiprasad Digitized by

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Agarwala's Joymati, in the period from late forties to the early seventies, a few Assamese films have been released. Only in the late sev­ enties, the number of Assamese film produc­ tions increased considerably. But since it's in­ ception the Assamese cinema was reeling un­ der the pressure of the Hindi cinema. Though the Bengali cinema had also made a consider­ able impact, but as such there were no com­ parison to the overwhelming Hindi film indus­ try. The regional films did not have the eco­ nomic expectancy like that of the Hindi films. The expansion of exhibition and distribution network was determined by the expansion of 'Bombai' film productions and distributions. Though the Bengali film industry grew con­ siderably, but it was not at par at all with the Hindi film scenario. Just before and after the independence, our country's Hindi film industry got a boost from the nationalist government. The Indian Nation­ alist movement's leadership could not under­ stand the multinational, multilingual, multiethnic and multi-religious nation like In­ dia. But the 'Nation theory' was wrongly de­ fined and the Hindustani or all the languages having closest affinity to the Hindi language, were considered to be the 'more Indians' and the others 'less Indians'. The nationalist govern­ ment in the late fifties and early sixties started Digitized by

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to encourage the sponsor the 'main stream' Hindi film industry through their capital in­ vestors, of course covertly. Even in the sixties and early seventies, when the Assamese cin­ ema has grown considerably, they could not make their own independent identity. The Assamese films in that period were mostly re­ makes and proto-type of the average Bengali films. The overwhelming influence of the so­ called 'Box Office' cinema was the mediocre Hindi movies, turned out to be the 'so-called mainstream' cinema. This was possible only with the expanding propagation of 'dream world' in the poverty-stricken society, and a well knitted 'distribution network' with a strong capital investment in the industry. Here lies the secret for the success of the mainstream Hindi movies. Even the strong Bengali film in­ dustry has fallen a prey to it. The other regional cinema had no chance to· survive. But the Bengali cinema survived, through the efforts of Bimal Roy, Promothesh Barua, Satyajit Ray, Rittik Ghatak etc. Some of them were sheer excellence of creative cinema, which was largely absent in case Assamese cinema. The growing investments in the Hindi film produc­ tions (the Tamil and Telegu films of the South are not taken in to consideration as those films does not come in to a direct conflict with the Assamese film Industry), and the partisan conDigitized by

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solidation of their distribution network has re­ mained to be a potential threat to the Assamese film industry and the regional cinema alto­ gether. Today, the onslaught of the Bollywood films of popular genre and their partisan distribu­ tion network has weakened the regional film industry to a great extent. Today, not only the Indian under-world mafias invest in the lucra­ tive entertainment business of Bollywood, but it has also attracted the NRis to invest in the film industry of Bollywood. The recent produc­ tions have become mega investments. The films centres around multi stares shooting mostly in foreign countries with lot of songs and dances performed abroad. The violence and sex (a'la Hollywood) came to dominate the scenario. The bigger investment is also targeting bigger market internationally, which is possible for the Hindi movies as there is a huge NRI popula­ tion all over the world. In comparison the other regional cinema doesn't stand a chance near the Hindi film industry. It is also imperative to study the pros & cons of the regional films, precisely the Assamese cinema. and know the weaknesses and nega­ tive points of the regional cinemas in compari­ son to the 'mainstream' Bollywood films. There have been a lot of talks and discussions on this subject, but hardly there is any 'in-depth' study Digitized by

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done. Here I will try to bring certain points in to the discussion, to enable us to reassess and re-define the difficult objectives and address to the need of the time in order to strengthen our own film industry and our cinema. The growth of Hindi film industry has been phenomenal and it has become a major indus­ try with increasing capital invesbnents worth billions. This is possible because of a wide mar­ ket and a strong distribution network backed by the high-end media hype & publicity. This has never been possible in case of regional cin­ ema. The regional language cinema has a lim­ ited market in India. But it is a different sce­ nario in case of Tamil and Telegu films because of their language simile. The market is bigger and so are the invesbnents. But it is different in case of the other regional cinemas in India. Even the culturally rich and aesthetically re­ fined Malayalam cinema is also struggling to keep the heads afloat. The scenario of Assamese film industry is more pathetic then that of the Bengali and Orya cinema. This is primarily due to the absence of lingual homogeneity within the geographical state of Assam. Moreover the fact is that, whole state of Assam has very agnostic numbers of exhibition halls that too is more or less impos­ sible to ascertain, as some of them are tempo­ rary in character. The real numbers of the exDigitized by

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isting cinema halls are almost negligible in com­ parison to many other states. Adding woe to it, is the weak distribution network of the re­ gional cinema. This is where our 'distress call' starts. The film distnbution network in our re­ gion was primarily built upon the distribution of the Hindi movies, though Calcutta based Bengali movies had also a strong distribution network. But the overpowering dictate remains to be of the 'mainstream' Hindi films. Assamese and other ethnic language cinema of Assam always find it difficult to get a proper distribu­ tion channel with a better publicity backup. This is because all the distribution channels invest on the star studded, big budget Hindi films, hoping a strong 'box office' return. The regional Assamese cinema and others do not fall under the preferred lot. This is primarily because the Assamese and other regional cin­ emas have a limited market within the state and the region. Secondly, many of the halls are in such areas where even the Assamese lan­ guage speaking population is scarce or even absent. This is a major problem for the Assamese cinema. Thirdly, the poor produc­ tion quality and the non-professional attitude of film making in general, is responsible for not being able to create a conscious audience for the Assamese and other ethnic language cin­ ema in Assam. Because of all the above-menDigitized by

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tioned lacunas an average Assamese film fail to have a bigger budget and a competitive market. In a free market economy, the market for any product has to be created first through speculations and market studies. Only huge investments and publicity backups can achieve this. So like any other product in the capital market, the creative art has also turned in to a saleable commodity. Now the expansion of the television and satellite network has changed the scenario fundamentally, where the so­ called mainstream Indian Hindi films are be­ coming not only the cultural ambassadors of India's new foreign policy to go West and to the East, but also the cultural policy to make India a 'feel good' factor in the world arena. Here, the big budget Hindi films take a demonic character against the regional cinema. In the above mentioned scenario, the re­ gional governments like the goverriment of Assam, has to take a supportive and a caring roll to nurture and develop the Assamese and the other native language cinemas with a far reaching and pragmatic film policy. The Govt .. of Assam has indeed declared a film policy af­ ter a long time despite many discussions, de­ bates and seminars held with the particip�tion of the Assam government representatives, the filmmakers, artists, cine-workers and cine-enDigitized by

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thusiasts of Assam and also of Manipur, like Sri Aribam Shyam Sharma. Though in the year 1997-98 the policy was incorporated but some basic flaws in the policy mater and lack of a proper planning and 'will' to implement it, the policy couldn't make any headway in safe guarding the interests of regional cinema and the film industry of Assam. There are some basic matters that have to be discussed and debated minutely and objectively. Other wise the policy will not be able to reach its objec­ tives. Firstly, a committee is to be constituted with the representatives of both government and non-government agencies, film personalities and experts from both within and outside the state, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, film distributors and exhibitors ans the film socie­ ties of the state to discuss and formulate a broad based film policy. The committee also should be empowered to monitor the imple­ mentation aspect. Secondly, the existing Assam Film Finance and Development Corporation should be re­ vamped and strengthened with more autono­ mous power to function in way the NFDC func­ tions, to impl�ment the excepted State Film Policy in latter and spirit. The financial capa­ bility of AFFDC should be increased consider­ ably so as to enable the Corporation to take up Digitized by

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some long-term measures for the development of production and distribution facilities and increasing it's own financial capabilities. The state government earmarking a substantial amount from the state entertainment tax rev­ enue for the AFFDC, can achieve this. As the entertainment tax is revenue earned by the state government, which the state uses for the de­ velopment work of the state, so the sick film industry of our state also needs safeguard and support to be revamped and strengthened. So this revenue can be used by the AFFDC for the all round development of the Assamese and other regional language cinema of Assam. This fund created for the AFFDC can be used for of­ fering loans to the producers with the condi­ tions applicable like that of NFDC. These loan amounts should be linked with a subsidy of 25 to 30% like that of industrial and agricul­ tural subsidies in the state. Thirdly, the 'vaguely defined' and some what confusing measure of returning first two years entertainment tax collected by a film has let loose an open scope of manipulations and did not do any good to the film industry in the state so far. A large amount of tax collected also means that the film has done well in the 'box office'. So what is the need of returning the entire amount of two years revenu� collec­ tion? Bigger investments, larger turnovers and Digitized by

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'box office' success theoretically does not need state support in form of returning the enter­ tainment tax. The state support in form of sub­ sidies, incentives in other forms and low rate interest loan facilities should be aimed at pro­ moting the state film industry as a whole and good cinema in particular. So instead of return­ ing the entire amount of collected tax to the producer, an incentive of 30 to 40% of the en­ tire revenue collected in the first two years can be offered to those producers who will start his new film. Fourthly, the Govt. of Assam and the AFFOC, in order to secure and develop the state film industry must have a dynamic and a pragmatic film policy supporting the entire gamut of pro­ d ucers, financers, directors, technicians and artists of the state. The film policy of a state cannot be aiming just at giving the major chunk of the benefit only to the commercially moti­ vated films. Instead it must also support crea­ tive, artistic and aesthetically excellent films by creating fund to produce some cinemas in Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, Missing and other eth­ nic languages, so that these films can reflect the true life and essence of our people and cul­ ture in its varied colour and nuances. Consti­ tuting a script and selection committee, com­ prising of scriptwriters, litterature, filmmakers -)f repute and other personalities can help in Digitized by

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this regard. Then there has to be a technical co�ttee comprising AFFDC officials and out side experts, who will asses the technicalities and financial implications for the AFFDC. Fifthly, the AFFDC can also extend financial loan to private producers at low rate of inter­ est and even come in to financial arrangements with private and government financial insti­ tutions to produce short, documentaries and feature films. The AFFDC must acquire a distri­ bution right solely of in partnership with pri­ vate distributors and government agencies of the corporation produced films. The AFFDC can also have the distribution rights in the state for the national award winning and Indian pano­ rama films along with the other regional lan­ guage and foreign language films of the world. This will not only ensure the proper distribu­ tion of Assamese and other ethnic and regional films but also a constant flow of required rev­ enue to the AFFDC. Besides, these ventures will create a congenial the film societies of the re­ gion to bring in tastes of good cinema to the cine goers of the region. But for all these the AFFDC must build up a workable distribution network backed by mini and midi cinema hall complexes in form of multiplexes in the urban areas and auditori­ ums of 400-500 capacities in the semi urban areas. Even the rural centers can be tapped with Digitized by

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touring cinema movement. The concept of mini and midi cinema halls in the urban and semi urban areas can be in three categories, (a) Au­ ditorium owned by the AFFDC in collaboration with other government agencies; (b) Permit and loan arranged by the AFFDC to private entrepreneurs; (c) Cinema halls owned jointly by the AFFDC and private entrepreneurs. This will ensure the proper exhibitions of the films financed, co�financed, produced and co-pro­ duced by the AFFDC. One of the most important responsibilities the state has to bear is to support good cinema in order to create an impact not only in the national arena but also internationally. This will always bring glories to the state of Assam. This has been proved time and again. So, the state film policy must formulate giving financial ben­ efits, like giving 25% to 30% of the capital in­ vested by the National or International award winning film producers to launch his or her next film. This will encourage young film tal­ ents and scores of new film producers to make socially relevant artistic films. It is important to give recognition to the deserving· films and the makers, technicians, artists, musicians along with financial incentives. The State Film Award is the important avenue for such ini­ tiative from the state. Though the Government of Assam has started the process but it still has Digitized by

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to do a lot. The AFFDC and the Govt. of Assam should constitute a permanent festival body including non-governmental members to look after the State Award Festival every year or at least in every two years. Where the non-gov­ ernmental members can be invited in chang­ ing basis. This award should also include video films also as it has been done in many coun­ tries now a days. It is imperative that for the growth of good and healthy cinema, the state has to support and develop the infrastructure of the existing studio, the Joyti Chitraban Studio and main­ tain the equipments so that the film producers can avail the opportunities provided by the AFFDC. For this one needs to train and have fine engineers and technicians. This is possible with the independent development of the JCFTI under the purview of the Ministry of Informa­ tion & Broadcasting. This is the only such in­ stitute in this region and therefore all the NE state governments should come forward to contribute and help the institute to develop in to a full fledged, independent film and televi­ sion institute. The NEC and DONER Ministry should really come forward with positive re­ sponse. The institute has to be an autonomous body with a constituted education council com­ prising of experts from the NE states and from outside to make a proper syllabus and a proper Digitized by

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guidance. There should and independent gov­ erning body of the Institute comprising mem­ bers from all the states of the region. The film study is an important subject today and the sta�e needs to do a lot for that. Not only the state of Assam and Manipur but all other states of the region. Even the Universities and other educational institutions should include film study as a subject. This will help to create a healthy abnosphere of appreciating good cin­ ema. But today let us also remember that the word cinema does not only mean celluloid films but also films made in electronic media. This is a reality one must accept. So the proposed film policy must also include the video films in its purview. For an all-round development of the regional cinema of Assam and the entire North Eastern region and for the preservation of the films and videos a well equipped and state of art archive is needed to be created independ­ ently. The archive has to be attached with a up-to-date film and video library with mod­ em auditorium for viewing and seminar pur­ poses. A film museum is of necessary impor­ tance. The history of Assamese and other lan­ guage cinemas along with Indian cinema and International cinema can be a very interesting sojourn for the students of cinema and the cine/ goers alike. Digitized by

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Today the states has the responsibility to save the cinema heritage of the region. The State of Assam has the leading roll to play as it the largest producer of film of the region and nurture the fragile film industry of the state and develop the industry to change the present poor scenario to a glorious one and perhaps turn in to a rich and large film producing state in the country with international reckoning in the near future to come. The author is a renowned filmmaker of Assam.

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The Regional Cinema a survival strategy Harekrishna Deka Is the regional cinema of the North-East fac­ ing a crisis and if so can it device a strategy for its survival? I am vaguely aware of the prob­ lems of films produced in Assam but have lit­ tle knowledge of the hard facts obtained in other parts of the North-East. Therefore I will confine my thoughts to the films (and in broad terms the cinema) produced in Assam, particu­ larly in the Assamese language. I feel that the cinema produced in Assamese has not emerged as a capital-intensive enter­ tainment industry to generate confidence amongst the potential investors. There is not only a lack of professional organization of a niche market for this regional cinema, there is also a gross fallure on the part of this cinema to establish an identity of its own recognizably different from the fares proffered by the Hindi film industry, and which can provide whole­ some entertainment. No doubt, cinema is a part of modem culture and throughout the world

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it has claimed for itself a place as an art form of high cultural value. This art-ness is only one aspect of its whole character. It has prospered primarily being a cheap mode of entertainment for the mass people and the capital market makes investment in cinema mainly because of the ability of this form of entertainment to create an expansive market by Belling dream­ illusions as pleasures for the leisure time of con­ sumers. It has therefore become formulaic like the branded consumer items. Of all forms of art and entertainment, the production of films is the costliest needing heavy input of money. Though it sounds paradoxical, the art cinema's brave efforts to chart an alternative course have met with some success only because of the rapid success of the cinema as an entertainment in­ dustry. Among other things, a part of market surplus is being benevolently funnelled into the alternative cinema by a small section of the investors. It must not be forgotten that the in­ vestor of the alternative cinema is not a phi­ lanthropist and he wants his money back. If the entertainment industry dies, the cinema as art form may not also survive for want of ven­ ture investment. This means that the fate of films as entertainment and that of films as art are interdependent. None can avoid the mar­ ket mechanism. It is not a gratuitous cultural mode of human endeavour. Digitized by

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Assam's first filmmaker Jyotiprasad Agarwala had foreseen the problem of the re­ gional cinema and had forewarned future film­ makers that they had to avoid the trap of for­ mulaic fares of the Hindi cinema. He was aware that lack of capital would be a major road block for this fledgling cultural form. He appealed for a kind a protectionist patronage from the Assamese film goers, which for a time was forthcoming riding on the Assamese la­ tent patriotism but this psychological fund has also dwindled. Jyotiprasad also came up with the idea of floating one or two Assamese film companies with Assamese small investors be­ ing the share holders. This is not likely to hap­ pen, since profit, not cultural value, appears to be the main motivator of trade and invest­ ment in the consumerist environment of the postmodern life-world. The Hindi cinema has evolved into a major entertainment industry with it reach through­ out the country except some parts in the South. It has several advantages. Hindi has a national reach, not only because it is the Rastrabhasa, but also because the Hindi cinema, being the first to reach a national crowd with little com­ petition from other Indian languages in the market, itself also became a cause for popular­ izing the language even in remote comers of the country and hence this language became Digitized by

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the national lingua franca at the street level, particularly in the urban centres. Secondly, the Hindi cinema had the far sight to make Mumbai (earlier Bombay) its cultural capital and Mumbai being India's financial nerve cen­ tre, it cashed in on the liquid capital available there, particularly amongst those looking for prospective avenues for investment. Thirdly, the Hindi cinema followed closely the style of Hollywood (Bombay even earned the nick­ name of Bollywood) but from the beginning it was shrewd enough to prepare an indig­ enously flavoured recipe palatable to the In­ dian moviegoers, both middle cla$ and work­ �g class, who looked for film copies of their owns cultural heroes and heroines, sometimes even as replacements of gods and goddesses. It hybridized Indian folk performing forms with Hollywood stylistic illusions but in this process it managed to produce an identity quite different from that of the Hollywood mode. No doubt, in its haste to expand the market it of­ ten catered to lowly tastes, and frequently fell prey to vulgarity, but by its ability to create an efficient system of production-distribution-dis­ play network, it ensured the creation of the phenomenon called the 'box-office'. It could also create an interesting cultural iconology in the hero-heroine syndrome. On the whole, as an entertainment industry it thrived, ·a1thou&h

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in the process it often became the cause for cheapening the cultural taste of the public it served. The Assamese cinema which lacks assured investment has no prospect of turning into a major entertainment industry nor can it com­ pete with the Hindi cinema industry for mar­ ket. It has to strive for having its own market. One notices that the Hindi cinema's vast do­ mestic market is still urban centred and its tar­ get consumers are manly the urban and semi­ urban middle class and the working class peo­ ple. The rural folk does see films occasionally but the potentiality of the rural market has not been tapped adequately by the Hindi cinema. Here lies the scope for maneuver for the Assamese cinema and it can do that by reach­ ing the Assamese speaking rural population. Various folk performing arts are still the main entertainment avenues for the rural mass. The regional cinema should a� at capturing this market. Instead of unsuccessfully trying to cut into the captive market of the Hindi cinema, its endeavour should be to share the leisure time of the rural folk with other forms of folk enter­ tainments Unfortunately, over time, the Assame�e cinema instead of trying to be dif­ ferent from the Hindi cinema with a regional cultural iconology has mostly been trying to ape the formulae of Hindi films, that too in a Digitized by

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manner of poor imitations. It has failed to ap­ peal to the psychological need of the locals by following the cultural signposts of these peo­ ple. Looking at the present scenario it appears that excepting a few film makers, mC'st others are trying to walk the easy path of familiar for­ mulae of Hindi films totally strange to the cul­ tural values of the people here. My feeling is, the Assamese film's small-scale industry can­ not survive simply jumping onto the band­ wagon of Hindi films nor has it the where­ withal to compete with the latter. It needs to aim for a niche market and at the same time it must create a regional flavour that is entertain­ ing enough to appeal to the taste of the people living in a folk cultural entertainment milieu. This means Assam's small-scale film industry must establish a cultural identity and not be a pale copy of Hindi films. As it cannot attract heavy investment this cinema will not be able to match the technological sleekness and fan­ tastic simulations of Hindi films and therefore this lack has to be filled by other means. Our regional films must have good scripts, compe­ tent acting, good editing and mature direction. To cut wastage of stock a professionally scripted screenplay is very important. That it is giving a different fare to the spectators must be felt by them to have their patronage. Sec­ ondly, since rural spectators will be the main Digitized by

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targets, the movie makers instead of expecting these folks to flock to the towns, should take their films to them. There is a suggestion that mini cinema halls will solve the problem. But a mini cinema hall has to run throughout the year and since so many Assamese films are not produced to give adequate business to the mini cinema halls, Hindi films are bound to fill the gap and eventually drive out its poor cousin, the regional films. I feel that there is a need to have a fresh look at the touring cinema in this context. It, however, has to be reorganized and a system of networking has to be adopted. The Assamese cinema may take a leaf· out of the book of the mobile theatre movement of As­ sam. Meanwhile, to avoid competition among them, the Assamese film makers should think in terms of forming an association or a sort of cooperative society for the promotion of mu­ tual interest. They may engage in a dialogue with rural cultural institutions, fair organizers and clubs etc. to build up a distribution chan­ nel free from brokerage system of the main­ stream Hindi cinema. They may plan the re­ lease of their films in such a way that the best time for rural entertainment is utilized with advance arrangement with the above network of cultural clubs and institutions. The Assamese cinema industry need not try to beDigitized by

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come a competitor of the mobile theatre, rather should act as a complementary mode of cul­ tural entertainment. There is a tendency to seek protection from the government on every problem. The gov­ ernment can neither be the guarantor of the industry nor can it ensure success at the box office. It can provide protection to the regional cinema only to a limited extent such as in mat­ ters of exemption of entertainment tax, decla­ ration of it as an industry or in matters of ex­ tending recoverable institutional finance within a limit. But at the first instance, the re­ gional cinema has to learn to stand on its own feet. As an industry, its principal source of fund has to be private finance and therefore it is subject to market force. It has therefore no al­ ternative but to tap that market whose condi­ tion is favourable to it. This is should do by devising shrewd strategy. (1657) The author is a Sahitya Akademi Awardee poet, short story writer and former president of Gauhati cine club. At present he is the editor of the Assamese literary monthly 'GAR/YOSHI'.

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Small Cinemaa question of survival Jahnu Barua Let me recollect a meeting that look place about three months ago in Mumbai. It was an NFDC meeting with about twenty filmmakers and I was one of them. The purpose of the meeting was to sensitize the organization as well as ourselves on what NFDC should do to survive in the world of entertainment where economics has become the main criteria for survival. There were various views and sug­ gestions kom various filmmakers- most of them were negative about NFDC's future since it looks almost impossible for such an organization to survive under the present circumstances. But my views were different. NFDC (erst­ while FFC) was originally set up by the Gov­ ernment of India to promote production and exhibition of better cinema that is composed with artistic and aesthetic sensibilities- to de­ velop cinema in the country as an art form. The objectives are clearly ideologi�al- they are ilOt commercial at all. And unfortunately the naked truth is that no organization can surDigitized by

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vive in today's market oriented world with ideological objectives unless it is heavily subsi­ dized. But on the contrary the government constantly puts pressure on NFDC to survive on it own. So my views were very clear. If you want the organization to function with such ideological objectives you must not expect it to survive on its own. In that case, either you close it down or subsidize its losses. So I say, NFDC should not haye been made into a corporation in the first place since a corporation is expected to survive on its balance sheet. It should have been made into an organization like the exist­ ing Akademies- Sahitya, Sangeet Natak or Lalit Kala Akademies, where such pressures are not put since their objectives are purely non-com­ mercial. I have cited this example of NFDC here since relatively it is the same situation for Small Re­ gional Cinema that is expected to exist in states like Assam, Manipur or Meghalaya. These small regional cinemas need immediate atten­ tion not only from the government but also from the public as their objectives are forced to become very ideological for their existence for being not big enough to stand on its own. Take for example-Assam... whether one agrees or not Darwin's 'Survival of the fittest' truly applies to the death of Assamese Cinema. Now the question is : Is there a way out for survival of Assamese Cinema? This is one ques­ tion I am often asked. I would say, 'Yes...' But Digitized by

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there is a big 'IF'... My analysis is confined to three main basic questions. (1) Should at all Assamese Cinema exist? (2) If it should, do we have enough market outlets for it to survive on its own? (3) And if the market outlets are not enough, should we let Assamese Cinema die its natural death or should we take some measures to make it survive for Assam and Assamese sake? To me, more than the filmmakers the state and its people need to answer these questions. The answers will automatically lead us to a logical solution. It's the same with Assamese literature, Art and Culture. But unfortunately due to the utter neglect towards these aspects today we are in such dilapidated situation from where it is becom­ ing more and more difficult day by day to re­ cover. Assamese Cinema is in the process of getting extinct. The closure of the cinema thea­ tres all over Assam, mushrooming of produc­ tion or unchecked video films, decrease in number of production of celluloid films etc. are the signs of Assamese Cinema moving towards its inevitable death. Unless some measures are taken right now, ten years later the state will be left with noth­ ing but occasional statements like, 'We also used to make films once upon a time.' The author, a Padmashree, is an internationally acclaimed film director. He has received several national and international award. Digitized by

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State Government and Assamese Film Industry Nazreen Ahmed

Smee the time of making of JOYMOTI by

Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala in 1935, the number of Assamese films produced so far has crossed 300. The Assamese film industry has undergone many a trials and tribulations dur­ ing this long period. A number of Assamese films and film personalities have made to the national or even international level. But the Assamese film industry, after crossing a vast period of over seven decades, is yet to take a healthy shape at least one would expect it to be. The State Government has always come up with schemes and policies to provide the Assamese Film Industry the required financial and infrastructural support. One would very well feel that the problems relating to the Assamese film industry are many. Several ini­ tiatives have been taken by the State Govern­ ment from time to time to help the Assamese film industry overcome these hurdles to some extent. Digitized by

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Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society: To provide the film industry with infra­ structural support, the State Government set up a Film Studio at Kahilipara way back in 1967 under the name JYOTI CHITRABAN (Film Studio) Society. Since 1967 till date, Jyoti Chitraban has come a long way from analog to digital, from linear to non linear, trying hard to keep pace with the changing technology. Over the years, there was a rapid techno­ logical change in both film and television in­ dus try. New Formats and new machineries began· its advent into the industry and Jyoti Chitraban was left battling for survival to keep pace with the changing times. And there is no denying the fact that the struggle was only due to lack of financial strength. The first major boost this society had received came was the grant of Rs. 8.795 crore which came from the from the Central Government as an outcome of the historic Assam Accord signed in 1985. Through this amount, the following moderni­ zation schemes of the Studio was carried out : * A 16 mm ARIFLEX Film camera was pur­ chased. * Complete set of Film lights were added for outdoor shooting. * A modem Re recording Studio with AC plant was set up with sophisticated Fairlight Digital Audio Stations. Digitized by

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Video department was upgraded with Sony Beta Cam Video cameras, Beta cam editing set up etc. Audio Department was modernized with Tascam digital recorders, neuman, shure microphones HBB Portadat, Mix­ ing console, etc. Besides, civil construction was carried out like Re recording Building, On line Studio (in­ complete), Video Editing Building (First Floor), Administrative Building and concrete bound­ ary wall of the entire land of Jyoti Chitraban were completed during this period. Even then there are some immediate and notable needs of the Studio in order to become a complete production complex which we hope to over­ come soon. Despite all the assets possessed by Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society as mentioned above, the changing times and rapid develop­ ment in the technology of film making, the improvement of the present scene is always considered the need of the hour. Keeping this in mind, Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio), during the period 2003-2006 has added the following facilities with assistance from the State Gov­ ernment: Non linear Audio Workstation, Non linear Video Editing Setup, 62.5 KVA Mini Generator Mobile van,

*

* * *

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210 seater AC Auditorium with provision for film as well as video projection, Modem AC make up room, A full time Canteen, Guest house facility, Artists' sitting room. In the meantime, another report has been submitted to the Government of India for an amount of Rs. 10 crore for further moderniza­ tion of the Studio. The Proposal is under posi­ tive consideration of the Government of India. At present, Jyoti Chitraban is offering its facilities at subsidized rate for making film and video production and the producers may come and avail these discounted packages. For facilitating the people of the film industry, a 12 hour information centre has been opened at Jyoti Chitraban from 8 am to 8 pm.

* * * *

Jyoti Chitraban Film and Television Institute : During the early eighties, when the growth of Assamese Film & Television Industry began to take a proper shape in terms of increasing number of productions, it was clearly observed that the industry was too short of efficient tech­ nical hands. It· was then the concept of form­ ing a training institute for film and television production was floated. Finally that concept was materialized when the Governing Body

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of the Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society decided to establish a Film and Television In­ stitute in January 1999, under the name 'Jyoti Chitraban Film and Television Institute' CTCfTI) in its premises. JCrn is approved by All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi, Min­ istry of HRD, Govt. of India and affiliated with State Council for Technical Education, Govt. of Assam. Jyoti Chitraban Film & Television Institute is the only Institute of its kind in the North Eastern Region. The Institute is intended to provide theoretical and practical education in the production of Film & Television Pro­ grammes and to undertake developmental works in different field connected with it. Courses offered at present : 3 years Diploma in Audiography

*

&

Sound Engineering. * 3 Years Diploma in Motion Picture Pho­ tography. * 3 years Diploma in Film & Video Edit­ ing. * 1 year Certificate in Applied Acting. It is indeed a great pleasure to note that all the passed out students have become able to work in their respective fields as complete and competent professional. Digitized by

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The Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation Limited : With a view to provide financial assistance to the Film producers and to encourage the growth of Assamese film industry, Government had set up the Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation Ltd. on 4th Septem­ ber, 1974. Recent Activities undertaken by ASFFDC for promotion of Assamese Films : * Financial support to Assamese Film : This organization has provided financial assistance to 24 film producers till date. Moreover, the Corporation has also pro­ duced one full length feature film­ 'Nishidha Nodi' which won the State Film Award in 2005. * State Film Festival in 2005: A week long festival of Assamese films was organized in collaboration with State Cultural Af­ fairs Directorate in April, 2005. The event was inaugurated by noted film person­ ality, Victor Banerjee. Over 20 Assamese feature films including the national award wining ones were shown during the festival. * State Film Award in 2005: To provide encouragement to the Assamese film art­ ist and technicians, ASFFDC in collaboraDigitized by

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tion with State Cultural Affairs Directo­ rate organized the presentation of the State Film Award in 23 different catego­ ries after a gap of six years in 2005. The State Government has taken the decision to present the film awards on a regular basis every alternate year. Film Fest 05 : ASFFDC strongly feels that the local film fraternity and common masses should be exposed to the high aesthetic taste of international cinema. So it organized a week long film festival in May 2005 showcasing 14 outstanding foreign films and 6 significant Indian films at Anuradha cinema hall. The FILMFEST also saw a national seminar on the topic 'Coping with Competion­ Regional Cinema' Noted cultural per­ sonality, Sri KuladaKumar Bhattacharjee was the moderator of the Seminar which was attended by a host of dignitaries who pl'esented their papers dealing with various issues related to the topic. Amol Palekar, noted film Hindi actor and di­ rector spoke on 'Agony & Ecstacy : My experience of working with regional cin­ ema.' The other speakers were : Noted Film personality, Sri Aribam Syam Sharma, Sri U. Radhakrishnan, Secre­ tary, Federation of Film Societies of In1

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*

*

*

dia (FFSI), Sri Amarendra Sahoo, senior RBI officer, Sri Utp.al Borpujari, National Award wining Film critic, Dr. Santwana Bordoloi, Director, Sri Bani Das, Pro­ ducer-Director, Sri Chinmoy Sharma, prominent Film Distributor & Exhibitor. Assamese Film Festival in Delhi in 2006 : With a view to provide an exposure to the rich film scenario of Assamese cinema, ASFFDC have taken the initiative to hold Assamese film festivals on a regu­ lar basis in some of the major cultural centres of the country. The first Festival was held in De1hi in January 2006 with a grand success and good response from the film loving people of the capital. Corpus Fund : The Goverrunent of As­ sam has declared that an amount of 20% of the refund of entertainment tax re­ _fundable to the producers will be handed over to ASFFDC from which the Corpo­ ration will be able to finance loans to the regional film producers besides pursuing other film related developmental works. Jonaki : The State Government has al­ lotted a plot of 2 bighas of land to ASFFDC at Panjabari where the foundation stone for a multi purpose Cultural Complex 'Jonaki' has been laid by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam. The complex will have

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a State ·of Art Audio Visual Museum showcasing the history of Assamese films & culture. It will also have an Archive for preservation of Assamese and other films of the North Eastern region besides having a projection hall for organizing Film festivals on a regular basis and other activity areas. There is no denying the fact that ASFFDC has a strong responsibility to ensure proper growth and development of cinema among the masses besides the growth of film industry. And it is with this �ion in mind that ASFFDC will go ahead shouldering its responsibilities with an ardous zeal. Govt.'s recent announ cement for the Assamese film industry: In the budget speech of 2005-06, it was announced that-

*

* *

The clause which states that a regional film would get full reimbursement only if the film producer produces a second film has been withdrawn and the pro­ ducer will now get his due reimburse­ ment on the screening of his first regional film itself. The show tax would be withdrawn. The service charge will be increased by Rs. 2.00 per ticket in respect of cinema ·

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halls which have invested in moderniza­ tion. * Instead of 100% refund of entertainment tax to the film producers, reimbursement will now be 80% to the film producers and the remaining 20% will be given to Assam State Film Finance & Develop­ ment Corporation to extend loans to re­ gional film producers. All the above announcements have already been notified by the State Government. In the Budget speech of 2006-07, it has been announced that : * Mini Cinema halls, Multiplexes, Amuse­ ment Par� will be exempted from en­ tertainment tax for five years. * The service charge of those cinema halls would be suitably raised which will be providing better facilities like A(;,, Mod­ em Sound system, modem seating ar­ rangement. The State Govt. has vide Notification No GCN. 78/2001/20 dtd. 11th July, 2006 amended the Assam Cinema (Regulation) Rules, 1960. * To accommodate Permanent Mini Cin­ ema which defines it as having seats not exceeding 500. * The fees for permanent Mini Cinema shall be levied 50% of the existing·rate of permanent Cinema. Digitized by

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The application for construction of cin­ ema building will be finally approved by the Executive Engineer provided that all additions and alterations shall be inti­ mated to the applicant within 30 days, failing which the plan shall be deemed to have been approved.

Conclusion:

It has already been said that the State Govt. has always put utmost priority on the affairs related to the healthy growth and development of the Assamese film industry. The Govt. schemes and policies are never static. These undergo changes from time to time according to the need of the time. We sincerely look for­ ward for any constructive suggestions from competent people like you who are involved with the Assamese film industry. And with your invaluable suggestions, The State Govt. may come up with more effective schemes and policies which in turn will ensure a brighter and more prosperous future of the Assamese Film Industry. The author is the Secretary, Jyoti Chitraban (film studio) society and the Managing Director, Assam state Film Finance & Development Corporation Ltd.

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In which way the Assamese Film world Phani Sharma It is a modest attempt overviewing the mon­ tage of the Assamese filmdom. First of all, I should be thankful to them who, being anx­ ious for the present scenario of the Assamese filmdom, are, by now, up and doing to do some­ thing meaningful for the cause of the indus­ try, and I do hope that we shall come to a con­ sensus through a healthy discourse. Since the first release of JOYMOTI in 1935, many a film have already been made, out of which, some are accepted by the cinegoers while some others are not. Truly speaking, it is difficult to precisely say the causes of liking or disliking a particular film from the point of the viewers' views. I am, of course, not aware of if any research work is being initiated by us. However, I firmly believe that such kind of dis­ cussion or discourse shall be able to find out the reasons that emaciating the industry. The cinema halls are considered to be the precious life-blood of the industry. People come to halls Digitized by

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for enjoying a movie after which they air their opinions regarding the quality of the film. The collection in the halls keep the industry alive. Presently, many of the halls of our state wear a deserted and desolate look. FailurP. to pro­ vide basic facilities to the cinegoers, such as poor standard of light and sound, worn out seats affording only discomfort absence of cleanliness, is a matter of grave concern. We must try to improve these conditions. Most of the cinema hall proprietors have other busi­ nesses and they give more importance to them. The business (of cinema hall) is going on and let it run in that manner. Let it earn whatever the paltry amount it could- so is the state of affair that the proprietors allow to go in its own course. So far as I know, out of 150 halls in total, some 54 numbers have been close-down. Some 15 to 20 other halls are also going to suf­ fer a severe blow before long. If we can not reopen these halls the industry can never amel­ iorate from the diseased condition. If such con­ dition is allowed to go unnoticed the industry can never be able to regale the cinelovers. We must find out means for giving new life and shape to the halls that suffer closures. From my own experience, I can say that if the view­ ers are provided with comfortable facilities and if the movies are worth seeing then we shall get the heydays back. Digitized by

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Should North East Cinema Exiat •••

Laws are there in galore. The law enforcing agents work for their vile interests. Therefore, we must have healthy mindset and none should have objection in providing minimum facilities to the public. Lack of basic amenities in halls shall invite their death. In absence of effective steps the film indus­ try can never prosper. Here are some reme­ dial steps I like to mention 1. Out of the govt-accorded service charge of Rs. 4.50, some amount should be sent every month for development. This must be lawful and an officer should be entrusted to see whether it is initiated or not. In case of failure to do so or in the event of lackadaisical atti­ tude, action should be taken for withholding, or cancellation of license. 2. At least once in a month, the concerning department should look into the cleanliness of the halls. 3. It should be noticed whether PWD, Elec­ tricity and Fire service are following the rules and regulations. 4. The halls affording the capacity of less than 600 /700 spectators should be classified as Mini Cinema HaUs and what the govt. has declared tax holiday should be discussed well. � far I could know, tax holiday is nothing but exemption of tax. In case of tax exemption, fare will be less while the number of spectators shall Digitized by

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increase. However, producers, exhibitors or th� people shall not be benefited upto one's expec­ tation. The basis of the aforesaid observations is the financial implication. Renovation of halls is not possible unless the banks come forward. Be­ fore sanctioning loans, banks will examine, among other things, the security, source of in­ come, mode of repayment, capacity of giving the instalments, and the like. After collecting the money of tax return it should come to an understanding with the producer facilitating him to repay some part of the loan. I hope, a concrete decision taken in this seminar will undoubtedly pave the way for success. If it is deemed fit and proper, a discussion may be hold among the exhibitors/distributors, pro­ ducers, etc. The disparity or discordance whatever ex­ ists between Assamese and Hindi films must be terminated. It is observed that sale of tickets for a Hindi film is very low in the halls where only the Assamese films are entertained. One time average of 50% lowers to 30%, and in case of further decrease, the halls shall never flour­ ish. Now, at le8St fifteen to twenty lakhs of ru­ pees in required to raise a Mini Cinema Hall. Whatever the number of aspirants, we can never spend such a big amount at a time. On Digitized by

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the otherhand, unless we can do that, even a minimum of ten numbers out of 100 cinema halls of our plan could never be built. We think, 80% of the cinema halls shall be built in rural and semi rural areas. However, the banks must render its help for making the industry of such mini cinema halls a success. Govt.'s positive node is also necessary. Let us adopt today it­ self a firm resolution in this seminar. Only then we will be able to set up the Mini Cinema Halls which the govt. has already acceded and we will be able to run films at least in fifty new centres, for the cause of the Assamese film in­ dustry. Distributors have an important role to play as an intermediary which is present among the manufacturers, distributors and consumers. Most of our distributors do not have pecuni-. ary affluence. Normal practice is that taking a film in hand they seek advance from the ex­ hibitors, but they can not return the same and, as a consequence, a live industry, too, limps to a dying state. If the financial condition is not improved the condition of the distributors wing shall go from bad to worse, leaving only a few on the stead. I think, we should initiate wide discussions in this regard so as to formulate some sbin­ gent rules and regulations. I look a clear idea regarding production. But Digitized by

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precisely speaking, professionalism must return to the production wing. Professionalism must be reflected among the producers, directors and the artists as well. Producers must look into what type of Assamese films are accepted by the Assamese society. We have noticed a trend in respect of (mobile) theatre. Technically also, they are much advanced and can attract good number of spectators. Normally, they go through some clubs, institutions or organisa. tions, and in that case the rate of attendance go higher, be it nonetheless ten percent. But it is certain that the 80% of the village folk go for such entertainment even at higher rates since it runs only for six months. We have submitted several memorandums to the govt. we also explained things to them. We are happy that the govt. has come for­ ward. We have to go hand in hand with the govt. to meet our requirements. There are miscreants who cause much harm to the industry by resorting to illegal selling of video CDs. Although it is govt.'s responsibility to stop that illegal and surreptitious trade, the people associated with the film industry must _ come out to co-operate with the govt. Hence, I feel it necessary that a unit be formed today to look into that the media stand against those nefarious elements and public opinion is formed. Digitized by

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Our government must encourage the banks for providing financial assistance towards reno­ vation of all the halls and the banks must con­ cede to the exhibitor's pledging the halls as se­ curity. In this respect, tax holiday should be effective for at least two years so that the ex­ hibitors can collect the tax and repay the bank loan. The only way to resuscitate the film indus-· try is that we must unanimously endorse our grievances to the government at individual as well as collective levels. That the Assamese film industry is a diseased one is a wellknown fact, but it must recuperate from its moribund state. If we can not do anything the posterity will suffer and the new generation will blame us. Investment in the business of cinema halls does not go in vain. My endeavour is an instance. There are some steps yet to be taken. Let us go ahead and work unitedly. It is obvious that Assamese film industry shall usher in the golden era once again. What is the need of the hour is our commitment and united efforts. The author is the president, Joint Advisory Committee, EIMPA, Guwahatl also a veteran Exhibitor of Assam.

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Meghalaya film frame Freeze in time · Raphael Warjri

film making in North East India is as old as

Bollywood, however it remain regional till now

for numerous reasons. I do not have the au­ thority to comment on development of cine� in the region. In fact, I never knew I am a film­ maker until the people in certain circle recog­ nized me as one. I have a humble tract record in my film career, and little that I know is that only Assam and Manipur has developed to a certain extent. To my observation, film mak­ ing in the North East remains regional due to various reasons. Primarily it is the isolation from mainland that the region is yet to catch up with mainstream cinema. Assam could have been able to attain mainstream status, but the diverse linguistic situation has enable As­ sam film to remain as·it is. Nevertheless, few Assamese and Manipuri filmmakers have achieved at the national level. Megha.laya is still in a nascent stage and only one film Manik Raitong has been produced and that is history. Digitized by

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Later, there were attempts to endeavour, but it is not up to the mark. The state is not dearth of talents; however the inability to cope with the overall prerequisites of full fledged filmmaking activities has made Meghalaya to stagnate. Practically there is nothing much to talk about film in Meghalaya. The thriving Hindi language cinema, the emergence of sat­ ellite television and video technology has tre­ mendous positive and negative impact on true filmmaking in the State. On the one hand, few low budget but excellent films have been made on video, while on the other hand the technol­ ogy has promoted and enable mediocre films to flourish. The mass appeal of Hindi films has also captivated the mindset of the people be­ cause of technical excellence, though majority of them are poor in content. The romantic nation of dominant culture is another. opaque ceiling that prevents the vir­ gin prospects of vibrant local tradition to ger­ minate and bloom in order to witness the open horizon of film world. Shillong Film Society is considered to be one of the oldest film appre­ ciation agencies in the country. How that vi­ brant tradition could still impregnated in the womb of neglect and intolerance? Perhaps, the forces to assimilate are mightier than the urge to appreciate the alien culture. Shillong has produced eminent film personalities who are Digitized by

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nurtured and prospered elsewhere, but none of them fell the necessity to create a legacy in their birth place despite its enormous poten­ tial of its unique way of life and fabulous land­ scape. Cultural diversity is a beautiful term if it can be translated into reality. However, even among those who accept and understand there is a subconscious and natural assertion for ones own culture. Linguistic barrier is the main dis­ advantage of film development in the region. The ethno centric attitude of regional dominant community and the cultural isolation among states in the region has further worsened the situation. There have been attempts by few popular film ventures to exploit the region, but due to hostility, it has discouraged and failed to give an opportunity to such ventures to en­ able the society to acquaint with the film world. The inability to absorb, tolerate and avail the film culture by the people has deprived the ambitions and aspirations of certain promis­ ing film enthusiasts of the State. The lack of inter cultural interaction among film fraternity in the region has further alienate the respec­ tive states, particularly the less privileged states. Doordarshan may have been instrumental to provide a platfo� to credible filmmakers of different states, but it has not yet creates any impact due to the unwritten system that en­ courages mediocrity. Nevertheless, few comDigitized by

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mitted filmmakers have the ability to percolate and sustain filmmalcing in the region. Harmony can only be achieved through the ability to sincerely tolerate, accept and under­ stand each others cultures. The North East re­ gion may collectively portray a unified char­ acter and propagate to the rest of the world, while retaining its respective identity. If the mass are susceptible to superficial pop culture, others may inculcate a sense of appreciation of the neighbouring lifestyle. The good films from Assam and Manipur can be exhibited in other states in the North East and filmmakers of Assam and Manipur should give a thought for a feasible film project in other parts of the region. Together the region can grow and pros­ per.

The author is a noted documentary filmmaker from Meghalaya.

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Seminar on film industry Sibananda Kakoti

Wbile the state of the serious film making in

Assam is quite deplorable, the main stream film

production is also just in a sick position result­ ing the present the film scenario in a grave situ­ ation. It is the time to rise in all concern for the betterment of Assamese cinema as well as the film industry, in spite of the silver lining of the occasional talents that the industry throws up collecting accolades at both the national and state level. Though the film policy in framed, amended and recommended the rightful implementation of the policy in the true letter and spirit is not yet done. Even film appreciation, the study on film is not yet implemented in colleges and universities. A tested syllabus is not yet thought over by the concerned government or univer­ sities and no official efforts are seen made for the inculcation of total film appreciation in the youngsters. The film society movements are to be nour­ ished and special incentives from the Govt. and Cultural affairs are to be made. Each college Digitized by

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and university should compulsorily have a film society under the control of the college author­ ity with a quality library of classics and the screening are to be made an integral part of some sort of assessment. So far the industry is concerned; the policy of the refund of sales is to be reviewed subject to a minimum ex-gratia grant along with maxi­ mum to be paid. The payment of minimum ex­ gratia will help the serious film maker with their experiments as these films fail to hit the box office. Recently,. some debate on the issue of con­ struction of mini cinema hall is being observed. Here, an important point is to be noted that, no mini cinema is proposed to be a parallel of the existing cinemas in the state. Neither is it a threatening to the mobile cinemas in the rural areas. It is specially meant for the screening of those films which fail to get any suitable book­ ing by the producers in the industry. Obviously, these theatres will also be open for the other mainstream movies with some considerations. Seriousness and professionalism are the keys for making quality and good film. A congenial effort from all the concerned for building up a healthy abnosphere is the need of the hour for the existence and growth of the film industry in Assam. The author is a noted short story writer of Assam .. and a cinema activist. Digitized by

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The Role of Government In The Film Industry of Assam Swapnanil Barua The present of the film industry in � is passing through a phase in what can be de­ scribed in the Dickensian phrase- It's the best of times and it's the worst of times. While our very own Jahnu Barna is winning international accolades in the Fukowoka festival, cinema halls are closing down one after the other and what was an fledgling industry on the upsurge a few years ago, has not seen a production in the year gone by. The irony is that never has there been so many artists and technicians wholly dependent on the industry so far as now, yet there are no production to keep them engaged. It is indeed very timely that the in­ dustry has now come together in the time of crisis, to find a way out of the impasse. Stiug­ gle has been the lap child of �ese film in­ dustry since the days of its first effort 'Joymoti' and the travails of Jyotiprasad are well known to need reiteration here; but the fact remains that the road has never been a well paved one Digitized by

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in the last seven decades. The industry has taken its price from its practitioners yet their struggle have not gone unremembered. The in­ dustry has gone through its ups and downs but the fighting spirit has not gone down and pioneers have shown the way time and again, how to come back from the dumps. I always take inspiration from the immortal Assamese from the rays of hope that lay ahead amidst the pall of gloom of the uncertainty of the first film studio coming up in Kahilipara in the early sixties, when the committee set up for the pur­ pose could not be assured of the full fund for the Studio to get rolling. Yet the Studio came up in 1963 and continues to function the last four decades. The Government of Assam has been an in­ tegral part of the film industry in Assam. The Publicity Deptt. of the yester years was the first agency to procure a 16 mm Arriflex camera way back in the fifties. It was the first agency to employ cine artists and technicians on a permanent basis, Shri Kamal Narayan Choudhury being the first Film Officer, to be succeeded by Shri Nip Barua to Shri Nipon Goswami, Late Shri Prabhat Sharma was the first Cameraman. This film unit laid the foun­ dation of documentary and news reel making entry into the Assamese Film Industry making in Assam. Later it forayed into the making of Digitized by

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short films with 'Bhodori' being the first of its kind in 1968. The setting up of the Studio in 1967 saw the entry of advanced hardware making entry into the Assamese Film Industry with a 35 mm Arriflex and a 'Mitch�ll' cam, era. Basic editing and sound recording facilities were also installed then, along with B /W processing facilities. These measures may not have meet the full needs of the industry but could address the primary needs. In fact the institutional support provided by Jyoti Chitraban propelled a flow of Assamese films in the late sixties and seventies. To this effort the services of the Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation Ltd. were a big booster, which saw the birth of the filmmak­ ers, Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia with 'Sandhyarag' and the rest is history. The sup­ port of entertainment tax refunds has all along provided a fall back to the industry. The Gov­ ernment of Assam since the late fifties has al­ ways been responsive to the demands of the film industry of the state to the extent possible which is evidenced by the upgradation of the facilities of the Jyoti Chitraban under the As­ sam Accord, the only other institution being supported under the Accord being the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra. The support of the Government has not been limited to hardware support only. To provide the manDigitized by

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power, the Jyoti Chitraban Film & Television Institute has been providing regular courses. Excellence in creativity has been honoured through the State Film Awards. To promote exhibition facilities, the rules for setting up Mini Cinema Halls primarily in sub-urban and rural centres have been promulgated. Concessional facilities for setting up 'Multiplexes' are also in the anvil. The Film Policy of the Government has been kept flex­ ible enough to change with the need of the hour and the demands of the "industry. Financial support in the form of 20% from the total en­ tertainment tax collected in the State to the Assam State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation Ltd. has also been promulgated, which will provide a corpus for film financ­ ing. Banks have also been urged to finance film production. Piracy has been a big detriment to the fi­ nancial viability of the film industry. District administration and police have been instructed to keep a strict watch on piracy, so that genu­ ine producer are not affected. Further action required in this area is open to suggestions form the industry. Films are a creative medium and its future li�s in getting people to the theatres, the more the merrier. The exhibitors have to a great ex­ tent withstood the challenge from extremist Digitized by

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elements. So getting people to the theatres, is the craft of the industry. In the interest and benefit of society at large, good taste must pre­ vail over pandering to baser appeals like over­ dose of sex and violence. The media J11.ust pro­ pel and develop higher values in the society, as it knows best. The welcome development in the film industry in the country is that the di­ viding line in between good cinema and popu­ lar cinema is getting blurred and good films are the ones that are doing well in the box of­ fice be it 'Rang de Basanti', 'Black' or 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'. It is this development which Assam's industry has probably over­ looked. Our industry has a handicap that with the same costs of production, a local produc­ tion can at best have an audience of 1 crore of the one 3 crore population of the state. So cost cutting or low budget quality productions can only expect to get its returns in the box office. Professionalism in the true sense of the term and keeping within the budget is the need of the hour. Cost overruns due to bad planning handicap our productions. Feeling the right pulse is the challenge before the industry and the Government is behind every good effort. The author is the Director of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Assam.

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Chairperson Sri Ku/adakumar Bhattachrjee briefing at the seminer.

Address by the cultural minister Sri Gautam Bora at the seminar

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Veteran exhibitor Sri Phani Sharma speaking at the seminar

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Noted writer & film critic Sri Apurba Sarma presenting his seminarpaper

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Nazreen Ahmed, the secretary, Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society presenting her seminar paper.

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Veteran filmmaker Sri Gautam Bora speaking at the seminar

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Noted filmmaker from Tripura, Sri Dipak Bhattacharya speaking at the seminar

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