Top News

National Award-winning director Tigmanshu Dhulia has strongly asserted that the fundamental crisis facing the Indian film industry is not to star entourages, actor fees, or content quality. Instead, he places the blame squarely on the exhibition sector and the unaffordable pricing of multiplex tickets, arguing that these factors have “literally thrown movie-goers out of the theatres.”

“The biggest problem with cinema is due to the exhibition sector and multiplexes,” he stated. “Ticket prices are beyond the reach of the common man. That is the only reason; it is not the content.”

The Demise of Community Viewing

Dhulia elaborated that the shift from traditional single-screen theatres to modern multiplexes has destroyed the essential culture of “community viewing.” In the single-screen era, audiences from all walks of life—occupying the first-class, stall, and balcony sections—shared the cinematic experience under one roof, often watching all types of films, “good or bad.”

The filmmaker argues that the rise of multiplexes and the conversion of single screens into cineplexes have effectively excluded the working-class audience.

“We have kicked the first-class and stall viewers out of the theatre. Picture where you fuck! They were the real audience, who now watch films on their mobiles,” Dhulia lamented. He believes this created a significant social and economic divide. “Even if they have money in hand, they won’t spend it on taking their family to a multiplex!”

The Need to Revive Single Screens

Dhulia, who is preparing for his next feature film, Ghamasaanstarring Pratik Gandhi and Arshad Warsi, contends that the true charm of watching a film on the big screen has been lost. He points out the scarcity of authentic 70-mm screens today.

He argues that in multiplexes, massive auditoriums are often subdivided into smaller, high-priced viewing spaces. To combat this, Dhulia insists that single-screen theatres need to be revived and that the industry should look to the South Indian film market for solutions.

“In the South, they have single theatres, and now with a cap on ticket pricing, movies are working!” he noted. He cited the box office success of recent re-releases like Tumbbad and Laila Majnu (both 2018) as proof that low prices are the key factor in getting audiences back into halls.

Challenging the ‘Reduced Attention Span’ Argument

Dhulia also took issue with the popular notion that modern audiences have a reduced attention span, which many industry pundits use to explain cinema’s struggles.

“With people binge-watching OTT series and glued to screens for Test matches, I don’t agree with the attention span argument,” he said.

He views the problem as rooted in capitalism—the excessive focus on luxury and high prices within multiplexes. He criticized the emphasis on amenities like “recliner seats, on-seat dining in multiplexes,” calling the entire setup a tamasha (spectacle). Dhulia concluded that the industry needs to “respect cinema” by prioritizing the viewing experience over luxury, much like the reverence shown for live theatre in other countries, particularly in Europe.