5 QUESTIONS
BILLBOARD
MAKING WAVES
MEMORIES
MOVIES CHAT
QUOTE MARTIAL
REVIEWS
ROUGH CUTS
SHORT TAKES
SOUTHERN SPICE
WISH THE STARS
ARCHIVES
                       

    Komal Nahta

The Maharashtra film industry is gearing up for a closure of cinema halls across the state on December 20 as a mark of protest against the government's inaction towards controlling cable piracy.

This mark of protest is all very nice. But might one also say it seems very unlikely that a day's closure will change anything?

It is really sad how the governments -- both central and state -- take the film industry so lightly.

To give it credit, the film industry has come to the government's rescue umpteen times. Floods? The stars have contributed their mite. Drought? The film industry has taken out huge star-studded rallies and collected millions of rupees for relief operations.

The truth also is that the industry cannot absolve itself from blame for this stepmotherly treatment from the powers-that-be.

It is not uncommon for the industry leaders to rejoice at the declaration of the smallest of concessions or benefits to the film industry -- when there is actually no cause for celebration.

Two recent cases in point: When the central government granted industry status to film biz. The first announcement came in 1997. The industry was ecstatic.

Three years later, any accruing benefits were glaringly obvious by their absence.

Then, the I & B minister conveyed that the industry status had indeed been notified, thereby completing all formalities towards granting industry status to showbiz.

Sadly, it has remained just that -- a formality.

Yet, the industry behaved as if it had won a huge lottery. Ministers were garlanded, their praises sung louder than we sing our evergreen songs, parties hosted in their honour.

All the exercise proved was that it takes so little for the film industry to rejoice.

No one stopped to question the ministers how exactly this new status would translate for the industry. The few who did dare were brushed off as being too stupid to be talking about irrelevant matters at such auspicious times.

Case two: When the Maharashtra government amended the Cable Rules to make the screening of unauthorised films on cable TV a cognisable offense.

Once again, the industry people behaved as if this piece of legislation was the end of all its travails.

Even as the celebratory mood was in full swing, new films were in full view on small screens across the nation.

The same ministers and the same police officials who promised the moon to the industry were fully aware of the blatant violation of the law in telecasting these films.

But that still didn't stop the industry from rejoicing. For what? For being shown a carrot which turned out to be no stick for the erring cable TV operators.

Three months after that legislation, the very industry which rejoiced over it is now making preparations to make the token cinema closure an effective one.

So when the governments have realised that it is so easy to excite the industry, how can they take it seriously? One day's closure can be anything but effective.

The industry leaders' claim that the state exchequer stands to lose Rs 1 crore due to the bandh is childish, to say the least.

If the government's tax collection per day from cinemas in the state were actually Rs. 1 crore, the state would be one of the richest.

The Ramzan days are witnessing cinema attendance at an all-time low. Moreover, no new release has hit bull's eye.

Even Mohabbatein, the last hit film in Maharashtra, has almost exhausted its run in the first chain of cinemas.

The government has its own machinery to track the loss to the treasury. When the actual figure turns out to be less than 50 per cent of the industry's claim, it will speak badly of our leaders.

The problem actually lies in its implementation. The joint commissioner of police told an industry gathering in September that it (the film industry) would have to set up a monitoring agency to track down erring cable operators.

Now, isn't this the job of the police?

The question once again arises: Why is the industry not taken seriously?

And this is what needs to be addressed seriously by the industry leaders.

In 1986, the Maharashtra film industry had downed shutters for over a month. That was the first protest of its kind.

It was also the first time that the industry succeeded in getting reliefs by way of a reduction in entertainment tax. The Godbole Committee appointed by the government then had recommended a basket of reliefs for the industry, most of which were granted by the government.

Do you see anything of the kind happening with this one-day closure? Doubtful.

A look at the week ending Wednesday, December 13, 2000

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