Bajpayee has put a finger on an old irritation in the industry: the matter of screens. He wants a fairer system, one where you don’t have to be a behemoth to get a show. In his view, the big ones make it hard for anyone else by putting the squeeze on exhibitors and distributors. What he’s after isn’t a handout but access with some teeth behind it. And he’s in a position to talk about it; his own indie, Governor, was out in a limited run last weekend.
The flashpoint: screens, not scripts
You could hear him make his point in a recent chat. For him, if you want to support a small film, you start with how it’s put in front of the public. A policy from the top that makes sure every release gets its moment would be the only way to even the odds. Otherwise, you’re just getting clobbered by the star power and the spectacle.
He’s in agreement with Reema Kagti when it comes to patronage, but he’d like to see the onus on the administration. It’s an infrastructural thing, not a financial one. The idea is to have the authorities put in place some kind of guarantee so that whether you’re a major or a minor, you can get into a theatre on your own terms.
Put simply, here is his take on it:
– You have to look at the box office schedule to see where the support is
– There should be a rule of thumb for the number of shows a film gets
– We don’t need money, we need to be put on the marquee
– That’s what makes for a level field
Why Marathi cinema became the case study
If you want an example, look at Maharashtra. Bajpayee will tell you they have it down to a science there. Marathi movies are given their due in theatres all over, even in Mumbai, which is the heart of Hindi film country.
He thinks the rest of the country should follow suit and make sure a certain number of screens are open to the little guys, so they aren’t pushed aside. A firm promise of access, he says, does more for you than any amount of advertising.
The monopoly Manoj is challenging
According to Bajpayee, the high-rollers get the lion’s share of shows because they can make life difficult for the people who book them. It’s a familiar argument in the trade, where the star vehicles tend to run the roost in the exhibition network.
It doesn’t leave much room for the viewer to choose, and for a filmmaker, it can mean you never get seen. The only way to counter that kind of clout is with a framework you can actually enforce, he maintains.
What this means for moviegoers
When the government steps in to make sure things are shown equitably, you won’t have to hunt for a rare screening of a good film. It means your family might end up with something a bit different on a Friday night, and some local tales will find their way to the big screen.
Take his new one, for instance. Governor is an underfunded affair from director Chinmay D. Mandlekar. Bajpayee is in it as S. Venkitaramanan, and it tells the story of how the ex-RBI man steered India through the 1990s. It had a modest run in India over the past few days.
What to watch next
His message is straightforward: let’s be fair about access. It’s up to the powers that be to put some policy in place. If they do, independent cinema will have a home; if not, it’ll be left to chance. Either way, the question of who has the final say on showtimes is the talk of the town again.
