NEW DELHI: "Regional cinema is the backbone of World cinema. It has reached new heights today. Apart from that, regional cinema contributes a lot to Film Festivals around the globe."
Inaugurating a one-day seminar on World Cinema via Regional Cinema in Jaipur, Film Federation of India Secretary General Supran Sen said 15 awards were bagged by Tamil cinema alone in the 2010 National Film Awards announced recently, apart from a large number of awards to other languages. Though regional cinema suffered from lack of huge budgets, it had the right kind of stories and ideas.
The seminar was organised by the Jaipur International Film Festival and the Central Circuit Cine Association and was dedicated to filmmaker Mani Kaul who had grown up in Rajasthan, and music director Dan Singh, both of whom passed away recently.
Around 70 film distributors/producers/directors and young filmmakers participated in the workshop.
Sen said South Indian cinema was an excellent example of the achievements of regional cinema. Everyone is also aware of the popularity of Bhojpuri cinema. Super stars of Bollywood are now acting in Tamil, Bhojpuri and Kannada films. On the other hand, actresses from South India are ruling Bollywood, which also makes remakes of famous South Indian films. Thus, regional cinema makes contribution from the idea and story to the star cast in Bollywood.
But several speakers expressed regret that Rajasthani cinema was not showing much progress, despite some incentives like tax free exhibition or subsidy of up to Rs 500,000 for filmmakers in the state.
It was hoped that the state would increase the subsidy from Rs 500,00 which was very meagre.
Lack of unity among filmmakers from the state was another reason given for the slow rise of Rajasthani cinema.
Bollywood is also in many ways a regional cinema since it comprises films produced in a regional language.
Films produced in foreign countries succeed because of special effects and other new techniques.
Serials based on Rajasthan/Rajasthani culture were enormously popular and filmmakers could learn a lesson from this.
There was a general complaint that filmmakers are asked to submit their films in VCD/DVD format to the state government for tax exemption. But this was risky before the release of a film since it could lead to piracy.
