A Rs 2.5-crore Himalayan drama with a cast of non-professional actors has become the unlikely flashpoint in a growing row over how Indian cinemas divide their screens between blockbusters and smaller films.
The All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has asked Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to investigate why Vinod Kapri’s Pyre was pushed out of most theatres after Ramayana opened on November 5. The association wants police cases filed against any exhibitors or distributors found at fault, and is pressing the Centre to bring in rules that stop big releases from crowding out low-budget titles.
The complaint follows Kapri’s claim last week that his film had shed roughly three-quarters of its shows within days of Ramayana’s arrival. According to the director, Pyre had opened on about 80 screens and expanded to nearly 400 on the back of strong word of mouth and full houses, before being cut back to under 100.
In the letter, AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta made clear the association has no quarrel with Ramayana itself. He credited the big-budget production with providing work to hundreds of technicians, crew and junior artists across departments, and said he wanted it to do well so that producers profit and workers are paid on time. “I do not oppose Ramayana.
