The state budget was presented on Wednesday and the film industry had something to talk about. The industry was allocated Rs 2.50 crore to provide financial assistance for films and Rs 1.50 crore to organise Konkani and Marathi film festivals. The reaction from the industry was interesting to put it mildly.
Rajendra Talak said the money being allocated was enough but it was important to disperse the money in a timely fashion. He said the money was always there but it was a fact it was not being utilised. He said “If it was utilised, everyone would have got their money. It is still pending which is sad because the money is available. The filmmakers need the money because no one earns profits making Konkani films. The government pays fifty percent of the budget and that has not been paid for at least five years. Other states have similar schemes too and it helps their film industry. I hope the process commences quickly after clearing the files.”
The reaction of Darshan Lolienkar however was markedly different. He said by allocating such monies to the Konkani industry they were making fun of Goan film makers. The film industry he said does not exist in Goa. He said “I met a senior person who is in his position to help the film industry but he did not know who I was and if I had made any movies. There is a committee which is in place full of people from Mumbai and from Bollywood. Their expectations from each movie are so different and they will not understand our challenges. This is a young film industry. To compare Bollywood movies to Konkani films is unjust”.
Rajesh Pednekar another film maker said more than allocating money for organising festivals it was important to pay the money which was pending for six years as part of the film finance scheme. He said” Festivals are good but please commence paying off the pending amount. They keep giving excuses. They then promise to start clearing the files and then nothing happens. It is annoying because the festivals are being held but the local film industry in the state is in dire straits.”
Madhav Gad noted film producers felt the money allocated to the industry was very less. He said “There are approximately twenty to thirty films waiting for disbursement of the money. The money allocated like I said earlier is meagre”. Speaking about the money kept aside to conduct film festivals in Marathi and Konkani he said it was nice that festivals were being held but it would be even better if the monies meant for films to be made in Konkani were released. This he said would then ensure Konkani films would continue to be made. It made no sense, he said, to organise film festivals here that would benefit industries in other states.
A member of the film industry who did not want to come on record said it was a pity the industry was not being supported wholeheartedly by the government. He hoped this would change because he said the industry was winning awards given the tough conditions they were working in but it would be even better if all the help was forthcoming.