Bengali films will have primacy in Bengal, Aroop Biswas, minister and senior Trinamool leader, said on Thursday after a meeting between some of Calcutta’s leading actors, filmmakers, producers, distributors and exhibitors.

Biswas, the MLA from Tollygunge, linked the resolution to the campaign launched by chief minister Mamata Banerjee protesting the alleged assault on Bengali-speaking people, mostly part of the informal workforce, in BJP-ruled states.

“We have made some decisions. I can’t reveal everything, but the meeting’s objective has been met. There is a concerted and sinister campaign to throttle the Bengali language. Our chief minister is leading a second bhasha andolan; some people are saying Bengali is not a language at all; that Tagore’s language is not a language at all,” Biswas, flanked by actor-MP Dev and actor Rituparna Sengupta, told reporters at Nandan, where the meeting was held.

“We wish more Bengali films were made. We want more people to watch Bengali films. Our discussions were centred on these issues.... Bengali films will get primacy in Bengal,” he said.

Some of the leading names in Tollygunge had written to the chief minister, alleging discrimination in the allotment of slots to Bengali films. Most of the prime-time slots would be allocated to big-budget Hindi films, the letter said.

Multiplexes, which have multiple screens, did not face this allegation, said sources.

The trigger appears to have been the imminent release of Kaushik Ganguly’s Dhumketu, starring Dev and Subhashree Ganguly. The film is set to clash with Ayan Mukherji’s War 2, one of the biggest films of the year from the Yash Raj Films stable, starring Hrithik Roshan, Kiara Advani and NTR Junior.

Thursday’s meeting was convened following the letter, and Biswas was entrusted by the chief minister to handle the issue.

The meeting decided that 50 per cent or more prime time slots would be allocated to Bengali films at theatres, said more than one participant.

If a film does not work, the exhibitor can take it off, said sources.

“The exhibitors are anyway supposed to screen Bengali films in at least 120 shows in a year, according to a directive of the state government. Bengali films were often removed from prime time slots by Hindi films. Now, everyone is on board that Bengali
films should get enough show time,” said Firdausul Hasan, president of the Film Federation of India and producer of several award-winning Bengali films.

“Let other films also run. Bengali films must get proper screen time.... Dhumketu will get 50 per cent prime-time slots in single-screen theatres,” said Dev.

Conversations with exhibitors suggested that prime-time slots refer to the time slot between 2pm and 7pm.