Draft film policy for Janata theatres, Rs 120-cap on multiplex ticket rates

Panel suggests hiking cash incentives for award winning movies

A panel of film experts constituted to draft the Kannada Film Policy has recommended a cap on multiplex ticket rates at Rs 120.

The committee, headed by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman S V  Rajendra Singh Babu, submitted its Kannada Film Policy report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Babu told reporters a cap on the ticket rate collected by multiplexes had become the need of the hour as some of them were charging exorbitant rates and arbitrarily depending on the response to a film. Babu said the committee has also recommended that multiplexes should compulsorily exhibit at least two Kannada films full time.

He said it has been suggested that the government provide a subsidy of Rs 50 lakh to those who come forward to construct Janata theatres. However, only Kannada films will be allowed to be screened at these theatres. Janata theatre, created on the lines of ‘Amma theatre’ in Tamil Nadu to provide cinema-viewing at an affordable cost, was announced by Siddaramaiah in his budget two years back. The government proposes to construct 300 Janata theatres.

Babu said cash incentives provided to films winning national awards should be enhanced to Rs 25 lakh and those winning state-level awards to Rs 20 lakh. Babu said cinema show tax on non-Kannada films should be increased from Re 1 per show to Rs 5 per show and the proceeds (estimated to be around Rs 20 crore per year) be channelised for development of the Kannada film industry.

Babu said the policy suggests introduction of online tickets in all theatres. It recommends that the state should adopt the Telangana model to curb digital piracy and protect intellectual property by setting up ‘Intellectual Property Crime Unit’. The unit has representatives of cyber crime team of the state police, Film Chambers of Commerce, members of the film industry and officials of the state Information Technology department to crack down on piracy.

Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce president Sa Ra Govindu,  producers ‘Rockline’ Venkatesh, actor Jayamala are some of the members of the Kannada Film Policy panel.