A still from 'Dooronir Nirola Poja'
A still from 'Dooronir Nirola Poja'

The film fraternity of Assam has welcomed the decision of Assam government to provide monetary incentives to those willing to build cinema halls in the State.

In the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, the State government decided that it would provide Rs 50 lakh to people who are willing to set up cinema halls in the State whereas in order to help revive old cinema halls, the government would provide a fund of Rs 25 lakh.

Speaking to Northeast Now, renowned filmmaker and film critic Utpal Borpujari said, “This is a very positive decision taken by the Assam government. One of the major reasons behind the ailment of Assamese film industry is lack of enough screens. There are lot of people in rural or semi-urban areas who will be willing to watch an Assamese movie in theatres.”

Borpujari added, “If we just take the areas around Guwahati like Jagiroad, Mirza, Palashbari, Panikhaiti, Chandrapur, Khetri, Pamohi etc…we will be getting a dedicated audience base for Assamese cinema. Just we need to cater to them. Nowadays, good Assamese films like Calendar, Dooronir Nirola Poja and Antareen are being made and we only need to ensure that they reach the audience.”

Filmmaker and actor Kenny Basumatary, whose Local Kungfu has been a major hit at the box office, expressing similar sentiment said, “This is perhaps the best decision for Assamese cinema. We have about 50 cinema halls in Assam which screen Assamese cinema. Whereas in a State like Kerala, there are at least 500 halls which screen Malayalam movies. When the screens increase, the films get to do more business and this is how the film industry grows.”

In the meeting, the Cabinet also took the important decision of regulating the fee structure in private schools and introduced a Madrassa Administrative Bill which will regulate the functioning of the Madrassas in the State. The Cabinet also decided that for reviving the APOL Mill in Rangia, an amount of Rs 10 crore will be released very soon.

Also, a loan of Rs 668 crore will also be taken from the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) to help the farmers in the State.