Other States - Orissa   

It’s curtains for many cinema halls

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

A cinema hall in Berhampur wears a deserted look.

BHUBANESWAR: Unable to cope up with the onslaught of television channels and video piracies, more than 65 cinema halls in Orissa have been closed down while a majority of these are on the verge of adorning new avatars.

Replying to a question, Industry Minister Biswabhusan Harichandan told the State Assembly that as many as 177 cinema halls were running while more than 25 per cent of these could not keep pace with the time.

However, Orissa Cinema Hall Owners’ Association (OCHOA) disputed the figure saying the scenario was worst than being depicted. “Not more than 120 cinema halls are running in Orissa while more than half of it have been shut down,” OCHOA president Bijendra Mohanty said.

There was a time when Ganjam district was cine goers’ paradise, but condition of cinema halls presented a depressing picture. Out of 26 cinema halls, 10 buildings were locked. The first cinema hall of the State, SSVT at Berhampur has long been closed down, though the State government’s paper show that it is running.

Similarly, Jyoti cinema hall of Berhampur, the highest seat capacity hall of the State, has now been converted into a hotel. Moreover, an apartment is coming up in Vijaya Hall complex and Vijay cinema hall has got new address of a marriage mandap in the town.

In Cuttack district, six cinema halls have been shut down.

As the cinema halls are situated in prominent places, offers are flowing in thick and fast from shopping mall chains to switch over the trade.

Gone are the days when a cinema hall ticket used to be considered as a prize catch for film buffs. The crowds are gradually disappearing.

“Absence of strict laws on video piracies in the State is the single most important reason behind gradual decline of cinema hall culture. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, film complexes are doing very good because, as they are strict on piracies,” Mr. Mohanty pointed out.

About eight years ago, a high-level committee was formed to propose a law on video piracies. Even Orissa Film Development Corporation (OFDC) had also updated favouring enactment of law. But the government’s approach on the subject has so far been passive.

The situation has worsened to such an extent that cinema halls see a sizeable crowds only during first two or three days of release of a film. Fearing that number of viewers would come down further if prices of entry tickets were raised, cinema hall owners are sitting helplessly. As a result, they have not been able to take up renovation work for years. “It is a vicious circle. Government must take appropriate step. We are missing quality crowds,” Mr. Mohanty lamented.

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