Guwahati, Oct. 26: Ulfa (Independent) today asked cinema hall owners to screen films made in Assam’s local languages for at least a week.

In a statement emailed to the media, the chairman of the group, Abhijeet Asom, said the outfit is appealing to business groups to be aware of their social responsibilities and take a decision regarding screening of local language cinemas for at least a week.

“The owners of the cinema halls are no doubt in the business to earn money. So they are interested in screening the films that the people want to see. But there is also a collective responsibility towards Assam. Those who deny that responsibility may not be considered by people of Assam their wellwishers,” the statement said.

Ulfa (Independent) is demanding sovereignty for Assam and is against talks with the government without discussion on the subject of sovereignty.

Many in the local film industry, however, felt that the Ulfa appeal would make little difference.

Cinema hall owners said it was a lack of viewers that stopped them from screening more Assamese films.

Rajib Bora, the owner of Gold Cinema, told The Telegraph, “Being an Assamese, I have always encouraged screening of Assamese films but how can I run a show if people do not come to watch them? I screened an Assamese film, Sankalpa, last Friday in my hall at Paltan Bazar but there were only 10 to 15 viewers. So I had no option but to stop screening the first show itself?”

The Paltan Bazar hall can seat over 190 people.

Bora runs a chain of cinema halls across Assam, including five in Guwahati.

The Ulfa mail referred to an article here about newly released Assamese film, Sringkhal, and how the film was not being screened in local cinemas. “The review of Sringkhal says that it is not just a normal entertainment movie but more than that. So we are concerned that this film was not screened properly by movie hall owners,” the statement said.

Sringkhal is based on a popular short story by litterateur Bhabendra Nath Saikia. The Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation Ltd produced the film and it was directed by Prabin Hazarika.

Actor Adil Hussain, hailing from Assam, who acts both in Bollywood and Hollywood movies, recently expressed concern over the poor audience turnout to watch Assamese films. He stressed the public-private-partnership concept in movie production to increase audience numbers.

“Our government should set up mini-cinema halls with a capacity of 100 to 150 seats in each block and persuade the audience to watch Assamese films,” Hussain said in Jorhat on Wednesday.

The ban by militant groups in Manipur on screening of Hindi films in 2000 shut down six big halls in Imphal and three medium-sized ones are struggling for survival.

“The cinemas are screening the films in local languages made in digital format and some are screening English films. But they are incurring losses because of low turnout,” a hall owner said.