46 filmmakers issue joint statement calling out OTT platforms, multiplexes as Kanu Behl’s Agra struggles for screens

After Kanu Behl’s Agra was released in theatres on November 14 and the director took to social media to highlight the film’s struggle to get screens in multiplexes, 46 filmmakers have come together to issue a joint statement about the declining space for exhibition of independent films in the country.

Apart from Kanu, the statement has been signed by acclaimed filmmakers like Alankrita Shrivastava, Varun Grover, Nandita Das, Payal Kapadia, Vasan Bala, Chaitanya Tamhane, Hardik Mehta, Bhaskar Hazarika, Raam Reddy, Honey Trehan and Ruchi Narain among others. It highlights the problems faced by independent filmmakers in releasing their films even after getting praised at international film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, and Busan.

The statement noted that the issue is not just about Agra but the “long-standing systemic pattern” which is affecting independent films. It also questioned OTT platforms for relying on a film’s theatrical performance as a prerequisite for acquisition.

The filmmakers demanded fair access in terms of equitable showtimes for their movies, a parity in OTT acquisition, transparency while allocating screens and creation of alternate screening venues for independent films.

“We offer this statement with respect, seriousness and urgency. No antagonist, no blame. Only the collective need for a healthier system. India’s independent films have shaped the way the world sees us. It is time for us to shape a system where our audiences can see us too,” the statement read in the end.

Just a day before Agra’s release, Kanu took to social media to issue a statement that read like clarion call. He wrote on X, “We’re being denied shows because of the so called ‘big blockbusters’ and because small films ‘don’t fit into’ multiplex chain programming. It’s up to you the audience now! Speak up and tag the chains. Say that you want to see the film!”

Agra revolves around the suffocating confines of a cramped household. The story deals with a sexually frustrated young man who battles his fractured family and the crushing weight of repressed desire.

The film, starring debutant Mohit Agarwal, Priyanka Bose, Rahul Roy and Vibha Chibber, had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. Since then, it has won accolades at several festivals, including Special Jury Award at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Best Indie Film and Best Actor at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and Best Film at the New York Indian Film Festival.