Crisis of cinema: Letter to BS on How multiplexes skew Indian film market

With reference to “The missing picture” (March 6) by Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, Bollywood is killing itself. I would like to add something more. It’s just not the entry ticket price but the high cost of consumables inside the theatres that is driving up costs. Additional charges of driving down to the venue, parking et al are not factored in. Multiplex viewership experience in cities such as Hyderabad is akin to getting into airport screening. The security staff looks for any eatable in the nooks and crannies of purses with excessive pat downs which would shame even the most extravagant CISF personnel. I am surprised that they haven't installed full-body scanners.

There is also a genuine lack of the right subset of film critics. The initial sales depend on hype followed by some word-of-mouth.

We also lack the equivalent of Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes. Film critics do not offer the depth of appreciation of craft, and there is excessive dependence on “star-power” or “associations”. Therefore, the entire creative process is dumbed down thereby often reducing a work of art to a “star numbering system”.

The way out is streaming only releases, multiplexes/theatres to focus on film festivals, organising film appreciation courses/documentaries, and building a fulcrum for bringing film appreciation to a broader audience. It would take time to nurture this over an extended period, but they are bound to have a loyal audience and patrons who would come back for more.

Abhishek Puri   Mohali

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