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Challenging the belief that art and experimental films are not meant to please the box office, the Bengali film industry is now ensuring commercial success with its impressive line-up of thought-provoking films, a report said.
The idea of non-commercial nature of art films is diminishing, paving the way for commercial revival of the industry, according to a study on the eastern media and entertainment sector by industry body FICCI.
Regaining lost glory
Contending that the Bengali film industry is on its way to regain lost glory, it said that in the last three-four years, the Bengali film industry has seen the emergence of ‘middle of the road' cinema, which is commercially viable yet thought-provoking.
This has resulted in movies that cater to all sections of the Bengali film audiences – the urban and those in the districts.
Consequently, from an average of 40-50 films in 2006, the industry today is producing close to 100 films a year, according to figures from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Box office successes
The box office collections for Bengali films has started to reach figures as high as Rs 5-6 crore, which is a significant increase from the past half decade, the report said.
Films such as Baishe Shrabon, Autograph, Moner Manush, Abhohoman, Anuranan, The Japanese Wife and Shukno Lanka have walked the tightrope between box office and critical fame with dexterity.
“The Bengali film industry known for its rich past and contribution to the Indian film industry is on its revival path. We are seeing films with fresh storylines emerging commercially successful domestically,” veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose was quoted in the report.
His film Moner Manush is estimated to have garnered revenues of Rs 1 crore from theatricals alone last year.
“Today I am proud to say that the Bengali film industry has really come of age. Good quality films with proper marketing garners as much attention as any big blockbuster Hindi or a Hollywood release,” said producer Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh Films.
Predicting that Bengal, once regarded as the ‘mecca' of Indian films, will eventually be back with a bang, Suvojit Roy, CEO of Orion Entertainment said the palette is complete with films of different genres, catering to the needs of every common man.
“One can literally see that after a prolonged gap, so many cerebral brains across various creative disciplines have converged to create sheer magic,” he said.
Big-ticket productions
The entry of big producers such as Mahindra's Mumbai Mantra, Reliance Entertainment and Mukta Arts has injected the much-needed corporate finance to the industry.
The Bengali film industry, however, continues to grapple with challenges at the ground level due to issues of piracy and poor exhibition infrastructure that threatens the sustenance of this growth spurt.
Further, addressing areas such as a steady flow of Bengali content for the semi-urban and rural audience as well exploring overseas markets could prove to be beneficial for the continued growth of the industry, the report suggested.
Asking industry players to support single-screen theatres as they remain an important distribution platform for rural and semi-urban regions, the report pointed out that the number of single-screen theatres in West Bengal have dwindled to just 340 from close to 850 about 15 years ago.
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