Film personalities for govt support to promote reg movies

Film personalities from home and abroad today agreed that government support is a must to safeguard and promote regional movies.
From veteran Assamese film producer Shankar Lal Goenka to Latvian producer Aija Berzina, speakers at a discussion on regional cinema were of the opinion that government should invest in films for the sake of good movies.
"It is a very sad condition. The government should come forward. You should give subsidy to good regional cinema. Otherwise, it will not survive," Goenka said here.
"The government is earning huge money from the industry in the form of taxes and other means. It is their duty to reinvest it now," Goenka said at the discussion held at the ongoing Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF).

Prolonged socio-politico agitation since late 70s have snatched away the golden era of Assamese cinema, he said.
"Many halls downed shutters. Profits became loss. Investment became smaller. So, gradually the quality of cinema started to fall and people stopped watching Assamese films. Now, some good movies are being made. We should support them," he said.

There should be at least one theatre in Guwahati, where only Assamese films would be shown all the 52 weeks of the years irrespective of profit and loss, he said.
Latvian film producer Aija Berzina lamented that it has become a global phenomena that good films are not doing well commercially, and bad ones are successful in Box Office.

"In my country, successful films are stupid sex comedies. So, we have to think about it. If we make good films, we have to travel around the world with it," she said.
Producer-actor Shahnaab Alam stressed on finding fresh market for regional films.
"The market of Assamese films cannot be only within the geographical boundaries of the state. I am sure, there are people outside Assam and they want to watch Assamese films. We just have to find out ways to reach them," Alam said.
Government support is necessary, he said adding the unavoidable pre-condition for a film to succeed is quality.

Assam-based filmmaker Bobby Sarma Baruah said there is no environment, especially for women, to make good films in the state due to lack of guidance and platform to show the final products.
Her comments were, however, objected by the gathering saying good movies will always find its way to the audience.
G Prabha, director of the Sanskrit film 'Ishti', said the term regional cinema creates a boundary and kills the universality of a film.
"The term is only for production location. The regional casteism should go. Assamese films should go to Kerala also. Otherwise, it will not progress," he added.