It’s normal to listen to about independent and area of interest movies not getting the specified shows in cinemas nowadays. Some filmmakers are too apprehensive to boost their voice. But Kanu Behl decided to not take things lying down. On Thursday, November 13, he posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account that his film Agra has been denied shows as a result of so-called ‘big blockbusters’ and since the small movies don’t fit into multiplex programming. On the morning of November 14, the day Agra released, he uploaded a screenshot of the variety of shows secured by his film in Mumbai. His film was played in only 3 cinemas with 4 shows. Kanu’s caption for this picture was ‘slow claps’.
EXPLOSIVE: Kanu Behl on multiplexes denying shows to Agra: “We’re NOT asking for 1000 screens; we’re only asking for 100 good screens…has the rot set so deep that nobody just cares anymore? Is all of it about Rs. 1000 crores or Rs. 5000 crores?”
After he raised his voice, many from the industry like Manoj Bajpayee, Saiyami Kher, Sudhir Mishra etc got here out in support. On November 15, after Kanu’s relentless fight, Agra is now playing in 9 cinemas in Mumbai. However the battle is way from over. Within the evening of November 14, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Kanu to further understand the difficulty.
When asked when he realized that Agra is being denied shows, he said, “I used to be an element of this conversation in peripheral ways since I’m the director. I didn’t know upfront. 2 weeks back, we got the initial list of about 100 screens, out of which 9 belonged to PVR Inox. It was quite less. I insisted that we want to begin cracking higher cinemas. But the method got delayed and we didn’t hear anything. On Thursday night, I used to be told that shows nahin mil raha hai as all of the shows got to the larger movies. I don’t wish to take names; I’m not against any film. What we heard eventually was that we weren’t getting the shows. That’s once I began talking about it.”
Agra has been distributed by Mantra Luminosity. Did Kanu Behl try to achieve out to the theatres directly? Kanu replied, “I didn’t have direct communication with them. I only heard through my team. Generally, what we heard is that ‘A movie like Agra doesn’t fit into our programming’ and ‘There’s a much bigger film on the market and everybody goes out for it’. But my point is that we’re a rustic of 5000-6000 screens. We will not be asking for 1000 screens and even 500 screens. We’re only asking for 100 good screens. Why can’t we get 100 good screens which might be accessible and are at a convenient time so that individuals can sample the film? In the event that they prefer it, then the word of mouth will spread. Hence, we will not be making an exorbitant ask.”
Did the social media posts of Kanu Behl assist in any way? In any case, the incontrovertible fact that it got 9 shows in Mumbai on Saturday was due to his tweets. Or else, the variety of shows might need reduced further on Saturday. Kanu explained, “Yes, but even in case you notice, there aren’t any shows in big chains yet. We at the moment are attempting to add as many shows as possible. But this whole thing concerning the big chains having a monopoly is an actual issue. It doesn’t concern only me or my film Agra. It’s a difficulty of the independent filmmaking community at large.”
Kanu Behl said that he would proceed to make efforts to get justice, “We’re going to keep fighting. It’s time to speak and begin this conversation. This keeps happening time and again in every film. For those who remember, even All We Imagine As Light suffered the identical problem. The identical thing happened to Homebound, perhaps to a lesser extent, because Dharma was involved. But each time an independent film was released, whether Sabar Bonda or Jugnuma, this happens. Until now, everyone was talking individually. Now, all of us independent filmmakers are coming together, and we’re going to raise our voices collectively.”
A number of netizens asked Kanu Behl on X to release Agra directly on OTT. Kanu told them that a mafia exists even in that space. When asked if the OTT rights have been sold, Kanu Behl replied, “The rights haven’t been sold. But my query is, why not theatres? Why should my film also go directly into the black hole called OTT? A movie of this type just gets dumped on a streaming platform with none promotion. Do people even know that those movies exist? Has the decay of our culture gotten so bad and has the rot set so deep that nobody just cares anymore? Is all of it about Rs. 100 crores or Rs. 1000 crores or Rs. 5000 crores? Once we are on our deathbed, will we remember the amount of cash we earned or the standard of lives we lived and the those who matter to us? When will this shameless capitalist consumerist activity stop? When will we put an end to it?”
Also Read: Kanu Behl urges audience to talk up as Agra struggles for shows amid ‘big blockbuster’ dominance
More Pages: Agra Box Office Collection
BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for up to date Bollywood News, Recent Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, Recent Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.