Kanu Behl hasn’t slept for the last three days. But the disruption in the sleep pattern is of least concern for the 45-year-old filmmaker.
Behl’s 2023 film Agra, which released on 14 November, has been hit by a limited release across theatres in most major centres.
“Basically, we are fighting for screens. Mostly it has been released in peripheral screens where it is difficult for the audience to reach. Since there are not enough audience the shows are getting pulled down,” Behl told The Telegraph Online from Mumbai on Thursday. “There were two shows in Kolkata which have been pulled down now.”
Behl, an alumni of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, says the system (of film exhibition and distribution) is unsustainable.
“I have just started talking to the interested parties to understand why the system is what it is. This is the first time that I have faced such a situation. I have seen a lot of it happening around me. I am just beginning to look into it,” he said.
When he made his first film, the critically-acclaimed Titli, 11 years ago, Behl had the backing of Yash Raj Films as co-producer. His next, Despatch with Manoj Bajpayee, was released directly on OTT.
“In Andheri last night at one of the multiplexes for the 8.20pm show there were 120 people. There was a similar, though unconfirmed, report from Bangalore. The performance is encouraging,” he said.
A day before Agra hit the screens, Behl had flagged the lack of screens for his film on his social media handles.
“Update on Agra, the film; We’re being denied shows because of the so-called ‘big blockbusters’ and because 'small films ‘don’t fit into’ multiplex chain programming. It’s up to you the audience now. Speak up and tag the chains. Say that you want to see the film,” Behl wrote on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle.
On Instagram, PVR had told the filmmaker, “We really appreciate your enthusiasm for the movie and would like you to kindly stay tuned to our App/Website for any updates on the same.”
An exasperated Behl asked, “How long do we have to stay posted?”
Instagram/ @kanubehl
Independent filmmakers who have suffered for lack of screens, about 46 of them, released a signed statement on “fair access, exhibition, inequity and the shrinking space for independent cinema.”
“This reality has resurfaced sharply with the limited release of Agra directed by Kanu Behl. The film – acclaimed internationally, awarded at festivals and embraced by cinephiles – has struggled to secure fair and accessible showtimes across multiplexes despite significant audience interest, extensive media coverage, and organic buzz. But this is not about one film. This is part of a long-standing systemic pattern affecting all independent films in India,” part of the statement read.
Behl said the process of bringing the independent filmmakers under a collective has started.
“Right now we are a WhatsApp group which started with 46 members on Friday and within two hours reached 53. The group is expanding as we speak. The process of formalising the group has started. We have already held two meetings,” he said. “I had met some fellow filmmakers on Friday morning and we were unanimous that something needs to be done,” Behl said.
The filmmaker feels it could take anywhere from a week to a couple of months to come out with a plan of action that gives independent films and independent filmmakers in India the space to breathe.
“I do not know what solution we will come up with. It would be premature to talk about it right now,” said Behl.
One fundamental change the filmmaker has identified is the ministry that oversees films in India.
“In most of the countries, films are under the Culture ministry. In India, the Information & Broadcasting ministry controls films. To get this changed is in itself a big thing. This goes to the root of the matter. How can we build a new structure otherwise? One thing is certain, us, independent filmmakers, akele nahin ghoomenge (Us, independent filmmakers, will not be on our own,” he said.