Darjeeling: Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Chief Executive Anit Thapa has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging the inclusion of Nepali language films in the state’s newly-announced mandatory regional cinema screening policy for the GTA region.
In his letter dated August 14, Thapa welcomed the Bengal government’s August 13 notification making it compulsory for all cinema halls and multiplexes across the state to screen at least one Bengali film during prime time (3 pm to 9 pm) everyday of the year. The notification, issued by the Information & Cultural Affairs department, aims to promote the Bengali film industry and comes into immediate effect.
Thapa praised the move as a commendable initiative to promote regional cinema but appealed for a similar provision for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region, where Nepali is the lingua franca. “Nepali-language films are a vital part of our identity,” he wrote, stressing that mandatory screenings in the region would ensure indigenous film culture receives fair representation.
He warned that without such inclusion, the state’s regional cinema policy would remain incomplete and risk excluding the voices and stories of the GTA region. The measure, he argued, would empower Nepali regional cinema, encourage young filmmakers, create opportunities for local talent and strengthen the state’s inclusive cultural vision. The August 13 notification by the Government of West Bengal mandates that every screen of every cinema hall and multiplex in Bengal hold 365 prime time shows of Bengali films annually. The order will remain in force until further notice, ensuring consistent promotion of regional cinema across the state.
The government notification has met with opposition from some hill political camps demanding that the GTA area be exempted from this order. “This is not about cinema. This is about imposing a language that is not ours in the most visible space of our culture. We have not forgotten 2017, when they tried to make Bengali compulsory in our schools.
That attempt sparked the 104-day agitation and the hills spoke with one voice, ‘no to cultural imposition’.
We demand that our region be immediately exempted from this order. If they try to enforce this in our hills, the people will resist, united and unshaken,” warned Ajoy Edwards of the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front.
Incidentally there are 2 single screen cinema halls (one is Kalimpong and the other in Kurseong) and a multiplex (Darjeeling) in the GTA region.