When It Comes to Small Films, Film Distributors Are the Mafia: Tannishtha Chatterjee

Panjim: Critically acclaimed actress Tannishtha Chatterjee believes that distributors play the mafia to small films in India.

"I think distribution is the mafia when it comes to small films that are trying to reach out to the maximum Indian audience. There are so many films that even I was a part of that faced difficulties in getting released in India. It is ridiculous to see how the entertainment tax system is," Tannishtha told IANS at the 10th NDFC Film Bazaar here.

"I was talking to filmmaker Prakash Jha and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (director of Pink). Even they were saying that in todays' day and age, making a film is not a big deal, but marketing and distribution are," she added.

Any solution to that?

The actress, who has featured in films like Angry Indian Goddesses and Parched, said: "There should be different ticket pricing based on the budget of the film. Students and youngsters are always interested to watch experimental films. However, most of the times they cannot afford to watch them due to expensive tickets."

"How come the ticket price of a Rs 5 crore film and a Rs 500 crore budget film could be the same? Can't there be some policy of free taxation and compulsion of screening for independent films like they have for regional films?"

Tannishtha also stressed the fact that she is an actress and not a policy maker.

"But as a creative person and audience, I can say that even when I was a student, I couldn't go for expensive films," said the actress, who has played strong characters on the big screen.

"When it comes to the projection of women in films, I think the change should come from the creators' end. It is a wrong attitude to say that the lowest common denominator will not understand 'this' and they deserve 'that'. It is a very elitist and offensive attitude," she said.

Tannishtha also shared that any morality does not work for her as she makes her own choices. "Like all human beings, I am also inclined towards freedom. I want to be free from all the norms and that way, acting is the most liberating profession."