Tollywood actor Jisshu Sengupta has urged the newly-elected BJP government in Bengal to reopen shut-down single screen theatres in the state.
Speaking to The Telegraph Online during the promotion of his upcoming ZEE5 series Brown, Jisshu opened up about his expectations from the new government.
“I don’t expect anything from my newly elected BJP government for my industry, however, what I really want is to reopen many already shut down cinema halls,” he said.
“When I started my film career, there were around 700-800 halls. But today there are hardly about 100 screens. Earlier we used to have 2,800 shows, which has come down to 200-300 shows. This is where the industry is right now, which is why it is not working,” he added.
Jisshu also opened up about the alleged ‘ban culture’ and strong-arm tactics adopted by the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) under Trinamool leader Swarup Biswas.
“Being part of the industry, whatever was happening and whatever will happen, everything is ‘my responsibility’, because i have allowed, things have happened to me. They demanded, and I gave in,” he said candidly.
“I think in future we should only allow things which are for the betterment of the industry,” he added.
Jisshu, who also works in Mumbai and south Indian film industries apart from Bengal, said no other industry eats, breathes and worships cinema like the south. “They don’t understand anything but cinema,” he said.
Jisshu stars in the upcoming ZEE5 crime thriller series Brown, where he shares the screen with Karisma Kapoor. He plays a psychiatrist on the Abinav Deo-helmed show. Jisshu said Karisma’s turn as Rita Brown on Brown is “her best till date.”
“Aamar dekhaa, Indian space ey ami je kojon ke dekhechi (in my view, among the people I’ve seen in the Indian space), this is a huge leap for her. The character she is playing in Brown is her first time for sure.”
Set in Kolkata, the show is based on the book City of Death by Abheek Barua.
Talking about the portrayal of the city on the show, Jisshu said, “The way Deo has captured Kolkata, we haven’t seen the city on screen this way. It has become a character in the series. If you take out Kolkata from Brown then it won’t stand.”
Brown is set to premiere on ZEE5 on June 5. Backed by Zee Studios, the show also stars Soni Razdan, Helen, KK Raina and Aaryan in key roles.