By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 8 Sept: The development of the Uttarakhand film industry is not possible without financial input. Regional films will not attract audiences to theaters unless regional content, advanced technology, and professionalism are incorporated. A short film on the Uttarakhand film industry, created by students from Graphic Era, was shown during an event held at Doon Library and received high praise, with the students involved in film production being honored.
These views emerged collectively during a seminar on “Uttarakhand Cinema: Direction, Status, Future, and Challenges” held at the Doon Library Auditorium today. The seminar featured discussions by senior film producers, directors, technicians, veteran actors, and critics who provided detailed arguments about the underdeveloped commercial aspects of Uttarakhand’s 42-year-old film industry.
Dr Nitin Upadhyay, Nodal Officer and Joint Chief Executive Officer of the Uttarakhand Film Development Council, was the Chief Guest. He stated that to promote the film industry, the state government has implemented the Film Policy 2024, which has been well-received by filmmakers and directors across the country. He highlighted that many filmmakers are shooting their films in Uttarakhand, and there has been significant progress in producing films in the Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Jaunsari languages. A 50% subsidy, up to a maximum of 2 crore rupees, is being provided for these films, encouraging many local filmmakers. Dr Upadhyay also mentioned that the Film Development Council is preparing a Film Resource Directory and emphasized that the new film policy is designed from an industry perspective to create a favorable environment for the film industry in the state.
Earlier, Dr Upadhyay was honored with a shawl and a memento for implementing a good film policy in the state. During the event, the program coordinator, Pradeep Bhandari, presented a three-point demand letter from the film industry to Dr Upadhyay, which included requests for prompt film awards, implementation of a Film City plan, and the inclusion of a Film Artists’ Welfare Fund in the film policy.
The seminar revealed unanimous opinion among the speakers that the contributions of filmmakers and the government’s positive stance have created an excellent environment for regional film production in the state. This is a positive step towards gaining national and international recognition for the culture and languages of Uttarakhand. However, despite the large number of regional films produced, the commercial health of Uttarakhandi cinema is not as robust as other regional film industries. Except for the initial 2-4 films, regional cinema has not performed well at the box office, with audiences gradually drifting away due to lack of compelling subject matter, advanced technology, excellent direction, talented actors, and commercial appeal. In the 90s, cinema halls with a capacity of over 600 had four houseful shows, whereas today, multiplexes with a capacity of 100 to 200 only run one show, often struggling to fill even that.
The seminar was attended by film directors Pradeep Bhandari, Sudarshan Shah, Gopal Thapa, Vijay Bharti, Rishi Parmar, Vaibhav Goyal, Kanta Prasad, Bechain Kandiyal, Jai Krishna Nautiyal, Debu Rawat, Govind Negi, Vinay Channa, Dr Virendra Bartwal, Deepak Nautiyal, Gambhir Jayada, Badri Chhabra, Ravi Mamgain, Mohit Ghildiyal, Megha Khugsal, Suresh Bhatt, Anamika Raj, Mansha Kukreti, Mukesh Sharma, and Ashish Pant, amongst others.
