Guwahati: Meghalaya is witnessing a significant setback in its film industry as filmmakers struggle to reach a larger audience within the state.
The absence of cinema halls, apart from the two existing ones in Shillong—La Galleria and Bijou Cinema—has limited the accessibility of locally produced movies to the general public.
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Renowned filmmaker Pradip Kurbah, known for his movies like “Ri,” “Iewduh,” “Dei Maphi,” “Hep,” and “Onaatah,” has disappointed many film enthusiasts who eagerly anticipate watching his works on the big screen.
Unfortunately, these films are not available on popular OTT platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Although “Onaatah” had a brief stint on Netflix before being pulled down, the remaining films remain elusive to online viewers.
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Kurbah clarified that only “Hep” and “Dei Maphi” are currently available on VCDs, but he couldn’t comment on the availability of other films as he wasn’t the producer.
Kurbah emphasized that the decision to re-screen movies in cinema halls rests with the respective producers.
“Iewduh” is produced by Shankar Goenka, “Ri” by Ribiang Talang, and “Hep” is produced by Saregama.
The rights for “Onaatah” lie with the late actor and director Satish Kaushik, who had produced the film. Interestingly, “Onaatah” remains the only Khasi movie to have been released on an OTT platform thus far.
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Kurbah suggested that interested universities could approach the producers to request screenings of the films.
However, he firmly believed that establishing theatres in every district of the state was essential to reach a broader audience.
To achieve this, Kurbah called upon the Meghalaya government to invite investors to set up cinema halls and multiplexes, taking inspiration from the Assam government’s approach of providing subsidies to encourage theatre owners to reopen their establishments with financial support from the government.
Furthermore, Kurbah expressed optimism about the state government’s plans to launch its own OTT platform, as announced by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who allocated a budget of Rs 15 crore for this purpose.
The filmmaker had already met with government officials regarding the OTT platform and eagerly awaited the developments.