Filmmaker SS Rajamouli spoke his mind once again. Not mincing words, the Baahubali director has hit out at the government for not giving adequate support to Indian cinema despite it being the biggest industry in the country.
While talking to film critic and television journalist Rajeev Masand on his yearender roundtable show, he said, “The other day I met the secretary from the state government. He was sympathizing with the industry saying if someone comes up to the government and says that he will be setting up a Rs15 crore industry, there will be so much from the government in giving it back to him in terms of subsidies, free water, so that it generates some kind of an employment. But, he said, we do nothing for the film industry.”
The high cost at multiplexes is keeping a lot of people away from theatres. Rajamouli highlighted that even if one wishes to set up low-cost theatres, the conditions are not favourable. “What is the kind of employment you are generating? It’s mind boggling. So, just in terms of the employment it generates, the government must support the industry by building a complex for film festivals or low-cost theatres. Can you imagine, to build a film theatre you have to get permissions from 28 departments? It’s ridiculous!”
The Eega filmmaker boldly appealed to the government to at least not kill the medium. “There is no incentive for anyone to build a good low-cost theatre. We are in India where film is the cheapest form of entertainment. Watching films is in our DNA. But government is doing nothing to support it. They don’t need to support. Even if they don’t kill it, it will be a bigger support,” he added.