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Sunday 16 February 2014

Gunday screening faces trouble in Bengal, theater owners 'threatened'



The much-awaited Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh starrer Bollywood release Gunday has landed itself in trouble over the screening of its dubbed Bengali version. According to the films eastern Indian distributors, the company has received letters from multiple single screen theatre owners across Bengal stating that they were under 'political' pressure not to screen the Bengali version of the film. 
According to distributors, a section of the Bengali film industry is miffed with the decision of Yash Raj Films to simultaneously release a dubbed version of the much-awaited film in Bengal. They fear that such a trend will be harmful to the regional language film industry. 

The much touted YRF production has been released in 92 theatres across Bengal in Hindi and 32 theatres in Bengali. The film has generated a lot of buzz in the state as it was shot for over two months in Kolkata and other location in the state last year. 

Letters written by some of the exhibitors have requested the distributors to change the screenings from Bengali to Hindi as there was 'political interference'. Some even state that they were receiving 'threats' that halls may be vandalised if the screenings were not stopped. 

"All the letter speak about one thing, political interference and political disturbance. We have received letters from Malda, South 24 pargana, Burdwan etc. Either there is a hidden agenda or some motive to stall the screening. We had taken all the necessary clearances to screen the film in Bengal. The film was shot here in Kolkata. There is a lot of buzz about it. Really don't know why it is now being stalled," said Pritam Jalan, Gunday's Distributor for Eastern India. 

The main distributor (Jalan Distributors) which is distributing the film across eastern India have said that they will take legal recourse and claim damages from exhibitors who have decided to stop the screening of Bengali version as that would amount to breach of agreement that the exhibitors made with them across the state for screening the film. 

However, the exhibitors (hall owners) are the ones who are under fire as they are the ones who are complaining of political intervention on the ground. 

A section of the Bengali film industry is not in favour of running movies of other languages dubbed in Bengali fearing it will adversely impact the regional film industry. 

However, the distributors of Gunday has all the necessary clearances to screen the dubbed version too. It has clearance from EIMPA (Eastern India Motion Pictures Association), the industry body. So there is not legal ground to stop the screening. 

The allegation is, the ruling establishment which has a considerable clout in the Bengali film industry is trying to coerce the exhibitors to halt the screening of the Bengali version which they feel will hurt its interest.

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