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Tag: moratorium

  • Karnataka government shies away from moratorium row

    Karnataka government shies away from moratorium row

    BANGALORE: Finding the chief minister’s attitude ‘elusive’, the Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA) has decided to start an agitation by taking to the streets against the theatre, which are exhibiting non-Kannada films in violation of the amended three week moratorium, from 24 November onwards.

    Three more theatres have started exhibiting Veer Zaara, taking a cue from the three theaters that were exhibiting this film starting Monday, 15 November.

    The government is wary of the SC order. Additionally, fearing the contempt of court threat by Yash Chopra, it is trying to wash its hands off the entire matter saying that the seven week or the three week moratorium was a decision taken by the film industry and not by the state government.

    The Kannada film industry under the aegis of the KFPA has decided to meet tomorrow to chalk out the future course of action.

    In the meantime, the theatre owners violating the ban have approached the high court with a petition that protestors should not be permitted within 500 meters of the theatres.

    The government advocate told the judge that necessary protection has been provided and could continue to be there.

  • Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court ruled on Wednesday, 3 November that theater owners need not abide by moratorium on release of other language (non-Kannada films) as no order has been passed by the government, after the government advocate informed the HC that that it has neither prohibited theatres from exhibiting non-Kannada films nor imposed any condition in this regard.

    This interim ruling was given by the court while hearing a petition filed by owners of two theaters – Cauvery and Vybhav. Notices have been issued to State Government, Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerece (KFCC), respective associations of Karnataka Film Producers (KFPA), Karnataka Film Directors Association (KFDA), theater owners, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and the city police.

    The High Court said that the petitioner-exhibitors need not abide by the Clause (4) of the resolution passed by the government-headed panel, to solve issues related to the Kannada film industry. The committee had imposed a seven-week moratorium for releasing non-Kannada films. The Clause (4) says the KFCC would implement the agreement reached with the exhibitors in 1994 for not releasing new non-Kannada films for seven weeks after their release, in their respective states.

    The theater owners had approached the HC asking it to quash the order imposing the seven-week moratorium on the release of other language films in the state issued on 3 September. The petitioners contention is that there are not enough releases of Kannada language films in the state and if they were to wait for seven weeks before release of other language films, they would have no audiences to see the films as pirated CD’s and DVD’s would be available by then. The petitioners have also asked the court to direct the police to give protection to theaters screening non-Kannada films in the state and also to instruct the KRV not to cause any damage to the petitioners’ interest.

    Theater owners have in the mean time decided to adhere to the new three-week moratorium until the Film Federation of India-CM meeting scheduled to be held on 9 November. No Non-Kannada films are scheduled for release on Friday, November 5, 2004.

    In spite of the SC and the HC decisions against the moratorium, the KFPA still hopes that the other language film theater owners will abide by what they term as an out-of-court settlement of a three week moratorium for the benefit of the Kannada film industry.

  • Non-Kannada filmdom retaliates to shortened moratorium

    Non-Kannada filmdom retaliates to shortened moratorium

    BANGALORE: Unhappy with the three-week moratorium solution, the Indian filmdom has reacted strongly to the decision taken by a meeting chaired by the Karnataka deputy chief minister Siddharamiah.

    The Film Federation of India, the South India Film Chambers of Commerce, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have now decided to go ahead with their decision to enforce the following embargos against the Kannada film industry:

    (1) No other language film will be released in Karnataka.
    (2) No hero, heroines, directors, singers, and technicians, including junior artistes from other languages will work in Kannada films.
    (3) No other language film producers will produce Kannada films.
    (4) No Kannada actors, producers or technicians will be permitted to work in any other industry.
    (5) No Kannada films will be dubbed in any other language.
    (6) No shooting will be done in Karnataka by any other language, Kannada films will be refused permission to shoot outside Kannada
    (7) Roping in Hollywood, Kodak and Fuji will be asked to limit raw stock to Kannada films, and Dolby and DTS be asked to stop giving their equipment to the state.

    In a meeting chaired by the deputy CM last week, the Kannada filmdom had decided to reduce the moratorium on the release of non-Kannada films in Karnataka from seven weeks to three weeks. It is learnt that the non-Kannada film distributors and exhibitors were not present at the meeting.

    Reportedly, many producers across the country have to follow Gemini films footsteps and approach the SC to knock some sense in the persons behind the moratorium. Some have decided to distribute and have simultaneous releases across the country including Karnataka at their own expenses if distributors in Karnataka don’t do it.

  • Exhibitors call for theater bandh in Karnataka

    Exhibitors call for theater bandh in Karnataka

    BANGALORE: Following attacks on three theaters and the snatching of film reels by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists over the past few days, film exhibitors in Bangalore have called for a theater bandh across Karnataka on 14 October to express solidarity with the theaters that were attacked.

    Exhibitors of non-Kannada films and Kannada films are divided over the bandh. The Hubli based Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF), which has been the only body to really sustain a fight against the government-sponsored Pandey committee recommendations on the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films, has opted for a wait and watch strategy.

    Meanwhile on 11 October, eight producers resigned from the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) reportedly citing loss of faith in the KFCC. Two more members followed suit on Tuesday. The producers who have resigned allege that KFCC president Gangaraju is hand in glove with the theatre owners. Gangaraju is yet to accept the resignations. The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA) is seeking CM Dharam Singh’s intervention to end the row over the moratorium.

  • Non Kannada theaters defy moratorium, release new films

    Non Kannada theaters defy moratorium, release new films

    BANGALORE: Defying the seven week moratorium for release of non-Kannada films recommended by the government headed and Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA) loaded Pandey committee, a number of theaters in Bangalore released the Aishwariya Rai starrer Bride and Prejudice in Bangalore and North Karnataka yesterday. This follows the low-key release of Alien vs Predator and Popcorn Khao! Mast ho Jaho last week.

    “The real test will be on 12 November,” said a theater owner who wished to remain unnamed. “That’s about when Ramzan ends and around the time of the festival season in India. A number of Hindi films are slated for release on that day. We theater owners are just testing the waters with these low-key releases. Even Rex is screening just two shows of Bride, for the other two shows The Bourne Supremacy is being screened.

    The KFPA is expectedly unhappy with these developments and has decided to give the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce till tomorrow to ensure that new releases of non-Kannada films are withdrawn. The KFPA plans to call a
    meeting of the Pandey committee immediately and ask them to take action against these ‘illegal’ acts by the exhibitors.

    Media reports speak of the Kannada film fraternity supporting the recommendations of the Pandey panel and decrying the release of non-Kannada films in the state before the end of the moratorium, justifying the seven week moratorium and the six print limit in the state by citing that the survival of the Kannada film industry was at stake.

    “How long can we pay to keep the culture of the state, the language alive? What will happen when we run out of funds?” said a frustrated theater owner. “Why can’t they make good films in Kannada? I don’t mind screening a film
    in any language provided it draws the crowd.” He added.

    Meanwhile, actor-politician mediator Ambarish seems to have been sidelined by all concerned, as he is busy campaigning for the Congress party in a Bidar by-poll to be held on 13 October.

    Odugoudar, president of the Hubli based Karnataka Film ExhibitorsAssociation (KFEF), is reported to have said that the moratorium applied only to theaters in Bangalore and films were being simultaneously released in North Karnataka as across the country.

    The KFCC has planned to take disciplinary action against those exhibitors who have violated the seven week moratorium and has assured that the new releases would not be screened today or later until the seven week moratorium was complete or the issue decided in another manner.

    Theater owners are contemplating going to court over the issue.

  • Indian film industry delays embargos on Kannada filmdom

    Indian film industry delays embargos on Kannada filmdom

    BANGALORE: The Indian film industry and the Kannada filmdom have agreed to a ceasefire it seems. In a move to give the newly elected KFCC (Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce) office bearers time to settle the seven-week moratorium issue, the Indian film industry has decided to delay the embargos it was considering against the Kannada film industry.

    The Hubli headquartered Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) has refused to accept the seven-week moratorium. The spokesperson reportedly said that non-Kannada films in North Karnataka would have a simultaneous release as elsewhere.

    Meanwhile, media reports talk of a formula attributed to actor-politician-mediator Ambarish wherein the moratorium would be reduced to five weeks with a five print limit.

  • Kannada film producers’ fraternity takes on filmdom embargo

    Kannada film producers’ fraternity takes on filmdom embargo

    BANGALORE: Undeterred by the trade barriers thrust on it by the Indian film industry — mainly represented by the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and some doyens from the Bollywood industry — the Kannada film producers fraternity has decided to take on cudgels and go ahead on its own, at least until the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) presidential elections which is to be held in Bangalore on 25 September.

    Reportedly refusing to be cowed down by the film industry across India, most of the Karnataka Film Producers Association members have either accepted the decision saying that the Kannada film industry will improve if isolated from the rest of their brethren in India or have taken a threatening stance saying that Telugu and Hindu film industries will suffer if they tried the Kannnadigas’ tolerance, threatening retaliation along the same lines.

    The artistes and technicians who are involved with films across states are worried about their future and hope that the crisis would be solved soon.

    KFPA president Basant Kumar Patil (he is also one of the KFCC presidential candidates), having been pushed onto the back-foot by the recent developments, reportedly condemned the embargos announced under the aegis of the South Indian Film Chambers of Commerce saying the Kannada film industry could sustain itself without any support from others. He asked the non-Kannada film industry to take into account the fact that the KFPA is fighting for its survival in the state. He stated that the non-Kannada film industry could adjust their losses elsewhere since they have worldwide releases while Kannada films were limited to the state only. Patil added that the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in the state would stay.

    The only other remaining candidate of the post of the president of KFCC, H D Ganagaraju has the support of the out-going president of the KFCC, S. Ramesh and actress Jayamala, Sa Ra Govind among others. Both candidates have released their election manifesto and have assured a quick solution to the problems faced by the Kannada film industry.