Promoting Marathi films is our responsibility, says president of multiplex owners association

Multiplex owners have agreed to screen Marathi films between noon and 9 pm, with top priority going to the 6-9 pm slot; film producers shall have the freedom to choose the slots within this window

Following the state government’s diktat, multiplex owners have agreed to screen Marathi movies between noon and 9 pm. The top priority will be a slot between 6 pm and 9 pm, but the film producers have been given freedom to demand slots in the prescribed prime time.

Shiv Sena workers protested outside author Shobhaa De’s house, offering her vada pav and dahi misal after De mockingly said the dishes would replace popcorn in multiplexes. Pics/Satyajit Desai

Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawde, who had announced the decision of making prime-time screening compulsory on Tuesday, had a meeting with representatives of Marathi film industry and multiplexes. He said, after the meeting, that the owners did not have any problem with the compulsion.

He said the multiplexes were given many concessions like more FSI and tax waiver by the government in a policy released in 2001, and, hence, the government expected them to reciprocate by supporting Marathi films.

Deepak Ashar, president, Multiplex Owners Association of India, told the media after the meeting that the owners were never opposed to screening of Marathi movies. “Marathi movies do not affect our business. To promote Marathi movies is our responsibility,” he said.

How it will work
Choosing a slot has been left to the discretion of the film’s producers, if they feel the subject warranted a slot other than the evening one. “Producers told us that the movies popular among youth ran better in afternoon slots. Family dramas get packed shows in the 6-9 pm slot,” said Tawde.

Screening of Marathi films before 12 noon and after 11 pm will not be allowed, and should they still get screened, they will not be counted in the mandatory 124 shows per year, said the minister. “The compulsion to screen 124 shows per year was already there. But since Marathi movies were denied prime time slots, they could not reach the masses.

However, the multiplex owners, too, have realised that quality of Marathi movies has improved tremendously over the past five years, and they, too, are enthusiastic to support the industry,” said Tawde after the meeting. Should there be a clash in choosing the screening slot, a dispute redressal committee of four members, which has two representatives each of Marathi producers and multiplex owners, will address the matter.

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