Bengali films have always played a significance role in advancing Cine industry
in India. Bengali cinema is known as the pioneers of parallel cinema in India. In
fact, movies which was produced by renowned director like Mrinal Sen or
Satyajit Ray brought fame in cinema industry of India internationally. Bengali
Cinema still has the greatest number of Best Film National Awards than any
other industry. But why with the passage of time Tollywood (Bengali) cinema is
drowning?
One key factor contributing to this decline is the departure of iconic directors
and actors like Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar, and Suchitra Sen. Their absence has
left a void that is difficult to fill.
Lately social media is buzzing with topics about the downfall of Bengali films,
though having good contents. According to the report of famous market
researcher firm IMRB International, almost 54% of film viewer have not visited
theaters in the last one year to watch a Bengali film in Kolkata.
There can be many other factors that affect Tollywood industry, like the size of
the Bengali market is smaller compared to other regions, which may limit the
resources available for production and promotion. Commercial movies were
doing pretty well during 70s and 80s as the industry was reported to be worth
more than ₹ 500cr. But this number has now shrunk to ₹ 150-175cr in 2015.
Nowadays even the average hit film in Bengal makes only about 5cr and there’s
just been only 3 films ever which crossed 10cr mark.
There is a huge lack of support from the Government of West Bengal, as well
as other institutions, since the period of early cinema production, which
resultant as making it more difficult for filmmakers to secure funding or
distribution for their projects. The budget is always low compare to other
state’s film industries for that even if the content is good ultimately the film
comes out of less interesting for audience.
Budget is the biggest issue in this industry. Most of the filmmakers tries to
engage viewers with the raw touch of the city. But Indian audience wants to
invest mostly on masala and full entertainment films. Using high quality CGI is
still out of the league for bong cine industry. Just like Bahubali which was
globally hit, in Bengali Chader Pahar was CGI based movie but due to lack of
funding the quality was not up to the mark.
Chader Pahar(The Mountain Bahubali : The Begining
Of the Moon)
Actors in Bengali industry is on ten, but the opportunities is too less to value
their talent. However, their potential often finds better recognition in
Bollywood. There are famous actors like Prosenjit Sen, Jishu Sengupta, Mimi
Chakraborty, Swastika Chatterjee, whose acting can beat any higher Bollywood
films. But the exposure is too less in Bengal. Surprisingly, when these actors get
opportunities in Bollywood, they nailed it.
Another Factor are less of global audience for Bengali films. Additionally, the
Bengali film industry may not have as strong of a tradition of commercial
filmmaking as other regions, which could limit the appeal of Bengali films to a
wider audience. Actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay, grand-nephew of iconic
filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, recently shared his thoughts on an interview with
Hindustan Times, about Bengali cinema being pushed to the sidelines. He
added that the scenario in the Bengali industry should change now. “The
Bengali audience too need to be a little for accepting of the films being
made and need to embrace new films with open arms. I do not think we
have managed to capture the Bengali Diaspora. We are a race of Satyajit
Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. We have cultural baggage and I feel
even if people do not appreciate that cinema, they carry the baggage on
their shoulders. Bengali viewers want to be a discerning audience which
stops them from experimenting with new stuff. They need to come out of
their shells, while makers too need to keep the wider audience in their
minds,” he added his statement.
Bengali Actor Parambrata Chatterjee
Compare to Tamil and Telegu movies, Bengali movies are slow, and still
based on art and parrel movie pattern, to keep the authenticity as we
can see most of the location are shot inside Kolkata and their old
heritages and houses. But this reducing audience as nowadays very less
audience have that amount of patience to understand an art film. Bengali
people started avoiding their own culture, art and authentic film which
can also a backdrop of the industry.
But again, which is very surprising that whenever Bengali film is shoot in
Bengal, viewers get bored, but if any Bollywood movie was being shot in
Kolkata, viewers praise that, for example Kahani, Gunday, Piku, Barfi and
many more
Lists of films where location was shot in Kolkata (West Bengal)
To revitalize the Bengali film industry, it needs to adapt to changing audience
preferences, embrace new content, and explore wider genres. It should also
work on marketing strategies to reach a global audience and regain its status
as a prominent player in the Indian film landscape. Ultimately, a collaborative
effort between filmmakers, the government, and the audience is required to
bring Bengali cinema back into the limelight and ensure its continued legacy.
