HC: Theatres needn’t obey moratorium

HC: Theatres needn’t obey moratorium
Times of India

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday ruled that theatre owners need not abide by the moratorium on the release of other language films as no order has been passed by the state government.

This ruling came after the government advocate informed the court that no order has been issued imposing a moratorium.

The court gave this ruling while hearing a petition of two theatre owners. It also issued notices to the state government, Federation of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, Karnataka Film Directors, Producers and Theatre Owners Association, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike and the city police.

Justice S. Abdul Nazeer Sab passed this interim order on a petition by the owners of Cauvery and Vybhav theatres in the city who urged the court to quash an order imposing a moratorium on the release of other language movies in the state issued on September 3.

The petitioners contended that they have obtained licence to exhibit cinema shows in their theatres from the government, hence they be allowed to carry on lawful business.

They have also told the court that Kannada Rakshana Vedike, film chamber of commerce and Kannada film producers association have increased their threat, obstructions and interferences by causing severe damage to the petitioners. Due to this act, state is losing huge revenue generated in the form of taxes, the petitioners added. The theatre owners have contended that there are 120 theatres in the city and 1,100 in the state and not enough new Kannada movies are released to run the shows. If the non-Kannada films are released after seven weeks, there is no audience to see the movies because the availability of VCDs and DVDs.

The petitioners have asked the court to direct the city police to give protection to the theatres screening non-Kannada movies and also instruct the Kannada Rakshana Vedike not to cause any damage to the petitioners’ interest.

TALKS DECIDER
Film chamber pins hopes on govt-FFI talks on November 9.
Producers’ association hopes theatre owners will abide by the recent out-of-court settlement.
Theatre owners to wait and watch till the November 9 meeting.
No non-Kannada films scheduled for release this Friday.

KFCC eagerly waits for FFI-CM meet

Having suffered a double setback, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), which proposed a threeweek moratorium on the release of other language films, is now pin ning its hopes on the crucial meeting of Film Federation of India (FFI) representatives with chief minister N. Dharam Singh on November 9.

Theatre owners have decided to wait and watch till the November 9 meeting as no non-Kannada films are scheduled for release this Friday.

Recently, the Supreme Court stayed the earlier seven-week moratorium. Now, the High Court has clearly said no embargo can be imposed on the release of films. It means the three-week moratorium, which was evolved by the KFCC as a “out of court’’ settlement, too does not have any validity. Besides, there is no written order on imposing the three-week moratorium.

“Though the HC has issued a stay on the seven-week moratorium, we are working out a mutuallyagreeable solution. The FFI representatives will meet the CM. Let’s see what happens,’’ KFCC president H.D. Gangaraju told The Times of India here on Wednesday.

The KFCC wants the FFI to honour the three-week moratorium. “The issue is now in the court. We hope that there will be some relaxation through the three-week moratorium. Kannada film industry needs such a move for survival,’’ sources claimed.

The Kannada Film Producers’ Association, which initially proposed the moratorium, too is hoping that theatre owners would abide by the out-of-court settlement. “It was an understanding within the film fraternity that non-Kannada films should be screened only three weeks after their release. We wish the theatre owners honour it,’’ Association president Basant Kumar Patil stated.