Entertainment

IIE DIGITAL DESK : The group of leading directors and producers have jointly written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging immediate action to safeguard Bengali films from being squeezed out of theatres due to the dominance of high-budget Hindi releases .

Citing the deep pride in Bengali identity and culture across the state, the signatories—including prominent names like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dev, Srijit Mukherjee, Kaushik Ganguly, along with noted producers Shrikant Mohta and Nispal Singh Rane—warned of an “alarming situation” besetting the Bengali film industry. They pointed out how frequently regional films are pushed aside when megahit Bollywood titles arrive .

The letter was prompted by the clash between the upcoming Bengali film “Dhumketu”, set for release on August 14, and the Yash Raj mega‑budget “War 2”, scheduled for the following day. Under Yash Raj’s “one‑show policy”, once War 2 begins in a theatre—especially single‑screen cinemas—no other film is screened concurrently. This policy has repeatedly disadvantaged Bengali releases in the past .

Recognizing the seriousness of the issue, the filmmakers have called for an urgent meeting at Kolkata’s Nandan theatre on August 7, to discuss strategies that would ensure Bengali films receive fair screening opportunities throughout the year. If unable to attend in person—such as in Prosenjit’s case, who is presently in Mumbai—they have committed to joining via video conference .

This collective initiative underlines concerns that Bengali films are consistently marginalized in their own market, raising fears about declining cultural visibility. The unified voice from across Tollywood’s directorial and production leadership marks a significant effort to revive regional cinema in the face of mounting commercial pressures.