Films, which were released prior to the present dispute between producers and distributors associations on one side and the exhibitors federation on the other, continued to be screened in select theatres across the State on Friday.
Distributors’ and producers’ associations had announced that films such as Pulimurugan and Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan would not be screened in movie halls belonging to the Kerala Film Exhibitors’ Federation from Friday in protest against the exhibitors’ refusal to climb down from their demand for increased revenue share from movie halls.
Siyad Kokker, president of the Kerala Film Distributors Association, said that the blockbuster Pulimurugan , the first film to enter the ₹100-crore club in Malayalam industry, was given an extended run in select theatres to ensure that it completes the landmark of 100 days, Pulimurugan , however, was not screened in movie halls in Kochi though it continued its run in multiplexes.
G. Suresh Kumar, president of Kerala Film Producers Association, said that Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan continued to be screened in theatres belonging to the Kerala Cine Exhibitors Association. The decision was not to screen movies in theatres belonging to the federation, he said.
Mr. Kokker, however, claimed that the movies were allowed to be screened in some cinema halls belonging to the federation as well as part of a strategy to prove that there was a split among the exhibitors. “Not all of them were in favour of the federation’s decision. Many of them had invested in renovating their theatres and won’t be able to forego the revenue from screening movies for long,” he said.
However, P.V. Basheer Ahamed, president of the exhibitors’ federation, rejected claims of split as a pipe dream of distributors’ and producers’ associations. “If there was a split how come they could not get some of our members to release the new flicks,” he asked.
He said that some of the federation members were allowed to continue the screening of old releases considering various factors. Some movie halls had taken advance online booking and their requests to be allowed to screen the movies to honour that commitment were accepted, Mr. Ahamed said.
