Overview
- Anurag Kashyap publicly complained Tuesday that his film Bandar and Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga were given far fewer and less convenient theatrical shows while Hollywood release Obsession received stronger placement.
- Kashyap cited concrete examples of token or early‑morning screenings, saying a Nepali film had only two distant shows and Main Vaapas Aaunga initially ran one early show before rising to three at a nearby cinema.
- He recalled that in 2014 fellow filmmakers and distributors helped secure shows for his film Ugly alongside Aamir Khan’s PK, and he said that informal industry accommodation has largely disappeared as exhibitor priorities changed.
- Kashyap argues that the current screen allocation favors immediate box‑office hits and event films, which blocks word‑of‑mouth growth for mid‑budget, content‑driven movies and pushes audiences to wait for OTT releases.
- State measures such as Maharashtra’s rule requiring four weeks of Marathi film screenings show a regional contrast that helps local cinema, while Hindi films face a fragmented market and fewer convenient screens nationwide.