Closure of cinema halls one after another over the past one and a half decades is indication enough that this once popular entertainment industry is in a moribund state. Movie theatres are pulling down the shutters because running them is no longer profitable. People are not interested in the cinemas shown on the large screen. When the number of cinema halls drops to a quarter of its total-reached its peak at 1,230 in 2001 -within just a decade and a half, it surely speaks volumes for the malaise the film industry is suffering from.
The saga of cinema should set policy-makers and cinema connoisseurs thinking if there is still some way left for revival of this form of art and mass entertainment. Bangla films have witnessed a phenomenal revival on the other side of the border, thanks to experiments, innovation, introduction of bold and newer subjects and themes. Well, the ludicrously stereotypes are on the way out making room for a different genre of movies refreshing enough. The middle class which had constituted the bulk of viewers in the past turned their back to cinemas there in the manner its counterpart here has done. But no longer. With the pulling factor and the chemistry between films and their viewers once more at work, the film industry is well on the road to recovery.
That the Hindi film industry is going from strength to strength will perhaps be hardly inspiring for the local cinemas. Hollywood and Bollywood are unlikely to be ideal examples for Dhallywood but there is no harm for learning a fitting lesson from the Tullywood. The reasons are more than evident. The Bangla-speaking peoples on both sides of the border share a thousand-year-old common culture, tradition and literature. If as a state of a vast republic, Paschimbango can leave its special mark on cinema, as an independent country Bangladesh has more reasons to do even better on this front.
Bangladesh does not fare poorly when it comes to theatre. The standard of productions by different theatre groups -no matter professional or amateur - has long been quite high. Some of them have earned appreciation abroad. The movement of group theatres has been a key to their success. How come it that the endeavour in this area could not even fractionally be translated into something positive in filmmaking!
A dispassionate analysis of the two art forms and their comparative advantages and disadvantages should point out the reasons for failure of the film industry here. People behind theatre are not only gifted, they also have serious commitment to the cause. Educated, well-versed with the best of theatre productions the world over, they have set before themselves an enviable bench-mark right from the beginning. No wonder, world famous dramatists like Ibsen, Moliere were translated in order to making them familiar with the audience.
Unfortunately, the cinema industry in this country did never get highly talented directors apart from a handful of them just above mediocre. The least said about the rest the better. One wonders how a whole lot of them could ever have their hands at filmmaking. Negative epithets like crude, bizarre and loathsome would not quite be able to describe the trashes made by them. Film business at some point was totally monopolised by thugs who could not do more disservice to the industry. Cinema-goers known for refined taste felt revulsion at such rusticity and totally boycotted films.
Against this trend though, some people with love for cinema arranged film shows under the banner of different film societies. Usually the auditoriums of a few embassies as well as the Central Public Library and the National Museum have served as the venues for shows of the highly rated films produced by masters of the art. Thus a new generation of filmmakers emerged who did not have enough money at their disposal to make full-length feature films. But passionate and committed, this new breed produced a few documentaries and short films to earn not only appreciation but also laurels in international competitions. Unsurprisingly, they were not welcomed by the mafia-managed film industry.
What is so galling that the so-called commercial film-makers do not even have the craftsmanship to produce one single entertaining movie with appeal for all segments of society. In the early days at least this level of mental poverty was not on display when the films could be enjoyed by a whole family, even though on several counts those did not pass the critical tests. Here exactly lies the malady.
Admittedly, art or alternative films of the highest order are not often every one's cup of tea. But the new breed of filmmakers is not likely to totally disappoint the audience if a leading member of it is put in charge of shaping a film. Short of fund they have to run from pillar to post for funds required for a good movie. The government has of late started extending financial assistance to talented filmmakers but still the effort is very limited. Such grants will be more meaningful, though, if a film institute is established first in order to go for talent hunting. Unless the future filmmakers go through a disciplined and rigorous process of organising their productions, even the highly talented ones cannot do justice to their potential.
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