Flicker of hope for Bengali films after 3-year slump
KOLKATA: Grappling with losses for three years, the Bengali film industry seems to have seen a ray of hope.Though the year didn't open with too many hits, the mid-year releases have got the cash registers ringing. Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee's 'Praktan' mopped up close to Rs 2 crore in the first week itself. It may be the magic of the good old silver screen pair of Prosenjit-Rituparna, which this film enlivened after a long 15 years, that the turnover has gone up to Rs 6 crore in five weeks. Joint venture projects with Bangladesh launched during the Eid have added cheer to the box office. 'Badshah', starring Jeet and Bangladeshi actress Nusrat Fariab and directed by Rajesh Kumar Yadav, collected Rs 1.2 crore in the first weekend. A Tollywood release recording 80% occupancy is a rare instance for the Bengali film industry . "People checking into multiplexes on a weekend to watch Bengali films even when there is a Salman Khan release is not what we had thought of," said a cheerful Ashok Dhanuka, co-owner at Eskay Movies, which produced Badshah. Shree Venkatesh Films (SVF) and Surinder Films's romantic comedy Kelor Kirti was another Eid release. According to the East India Motion Pictures Association, in 2015, the Bengali film industry had incurred a loss of Rs 100 crore after suffering a loss of Rs 70 crore in each of the previous two years. "It looks like we are coming out of the lull. Producers are finally hopeful. We are looking to come up with more...14-07-2016