Karan Johar speaks on new diktat of screening Marathi films in multiplexes

Following the recent beef ban, Maharashtra government has now asked multiplexes in the city, to screen Marathi language films between 6pm to 9pm (prime-time slot). Director-producer Karan Johar has raised his views speaking on this issue that has become a hot potato in the state. He said that though he believes in promoting regional cinema, putting restrictions on multiplexes may not be the best way.

Maharashtra government is planning to make screening of Marathi movies in the state's multiplexes mandatory during prime time slots. "I do believe in promoting regional cinema be it Marathi or Bengali but I am not sure if putting restrictions or rules and regulations will help that process," said Johar at the launch of Ronnie Screwvala's book 'Dream With Your Eyes Open'.

"I don't know many details about the whole strategy behind doing that but I believe empowering Marathi cinema is a way forward. I feel when you force it and not enforce it, there is always a problem," Johar added. The filmmaker hoped that probably the new rule was an attempt to open up the exhibition sector to regional films. "Sometimes there is a common perception that regional cinema does not have an audience. Riteish Deshmukh's 'Lai Bhari' made huge numbers at the box office. It released the same weekend as 'Humpty Sharma' and it dented the collections of my film. So perhaps the diktat comes from the fact that exhibition sector should wake up to the fact that it there is value, virtue and viability in regional cinema," he said.

In addition to this new rule Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has also made it compulsory to play a song in honour of late Dada Saheb Phalke, before the national anthem is played in the cinemas.

However, Ronnie, founder of UTV group, said if regional films will benefit from this then he has no issues."Most of the regional movies or Marathi films don't have lavish budget to spend so if you give them an advantage and position them in a convenient time slot rather than 11 in the morning, more people will come... If it works people will accept it and if it does not then it will move away."

This new directive was most likely created as a method to counter the Mahrashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Shiv Sena’s ‘Marathi manoos’ campaign.