Wide release: government to play referee

The war of words among the trade bodies in Malayalam film industry over the piracy controversy surrounding Premam movie and the ‘wide release’ issue related to the multi-lingual Bahubali-The Beginning has forced the government to intervene.

Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, Minister for Cinema, told The Hindu on Friday that the government wanted to resolve the deadlock and the differences existing in the industry. “We have invited the stakeholders for a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. It’s not confined to the wide release issue but will cover all issues affecting the cinema industry,” he said.

The government intervention came on a day of dramatic developments in tinsel town over the release of

Bahubali . Fissures appeared wide within the Kerala Film Exhibitor’s Federation, a combine of ‘A’ class cinemas in the State, after several cinemas under it screened the movie despite a shut down call from its leadership citing government inaction to curb piracy menace, especially after the massive online leak of

Premam movie.

Raju Mathew, whose Century Films had won the rights to distribute

Bahubali in Kerala, said that the film was screened in nearly 80 screens by afternoon.

“More theatre owners have now come forward to show the film and we expect 100 per cent compliance as per the agreement by Saturday,” he said.

Producers toughened their stance after a section of the exhibitors refused to screen

Bahubali on Friday morning. “We would not give movies to theatres that refuse to cooperate with the wide release concept from now onwards,” said G. Sureshkumar, president of the Kerala Film Producers Association.

Siyad Kokker, president of the Kerala Film Distributor’s Association, said that Friday’s developments have clearly exposed the leadership of the exhibitor’s federation that had shut down cinemas in the name of Premam piracy issue. P. V. Basheer Ahamed, president of the Kerala Film Exhibitor’s Federation, said that a general body meeting to be held here on Saturday will take a decision on those who violated the shut down call.