Tollywood gets a new organisation

A group of artists from the Bengali film industry have formed a new organisation, which will be officially announced on Saturday. Named Eastern India Motion Pictures & Cultural Confederation (EIMPC), it will be led by chairperson Baban Ghosh. Besides him, director Sanghamitra Chaudhuri will be the vice-chairperson, Arunava Majumder the

general

secretary and designer Agnimitra Paul the president.

Dilip Ghosh, MP and state president of Bharatiya Janata Party,

West Bengal

, will be present as the chief guest at the press meet. Locket Chatterjee, MP and state president of Bharatiya Janata Mahila Morcha, has also promised to extend her support to the organisation.

Sanghamitra informed us that along with a number of technicians, two organisations from Tollywood – BROTA and Directors’ Guild – have already merged with them. EIMPC will declare a number of demands at Saturday’s press meet, including clearing all dues of technicians and state subsidy in film making. “Our demand is to clear all dues, despite the fact that the person has a card or not. Besides, we want equal rights for all the producers. Why are only three to four producers making serials while there are so many of them?” asked Sanghamitra, adding that regardless of the person’s political stand, everyone should get an equal opportunity.

Talking about closure of single-screen theatres in the state, Sanghamitra said that in

Gujarat

, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the local film industry gets a substantial amount of subsidy, but it is not so in Bengal. “We demand to know the reason. We also want to open small, 100-seat theatres in all the districts of Bengal, where small-budget films can be shown,” she added.

In a separate interview, Agnimitra Paul had told us that she is against politicising the Bengali film industry and that no political colour should interfere with the creative atmosphere of the industry. “I completely agree with her and think that different political colours have taken a toll on the industry for years, and this should be stopped,” Sanghamitra added.