Reopen cinema halls

Thanks to the recent filmmaking successes of Zubeen Garg and Jatin Bora, cine lovers are dreaming of a revival of Assamese film industry and bring back the heady days of Bhupen Hazarika, Nip Barua and their contemporaries in the Sixties and Seventies. The aftermath of Assam Agitation saw the closure of several cinema halls due to extremist threat, while distributors chose to avoid Assamese films. The quality of our films also suffered. Despite all this, the efforts of our young filmmakers must be appreciated in making meaningful cinema that has earned a name across the globe. The Assam government must play a role in promoting and preserving Assamese cinema. There should be at least one cinema hall in parts of the State where Assamese films can be screened 53 weeks a year without bothering about loss or profit. Not having enough cinema halls in the State is one of the stumbling blocks in the resurrection of Assamese cinema. The State government ought to help reopen those halls which had to be shut down for various reasons.

Dipankar Das,

Gauhati University.