There’s a long history behind the popular hobby of going to the cinema, from the Lumiere brothers who were the first to introduce paid cinema, to Dadasaheb Phalke who displayed the first full-length feature film in India back in 1913. Of course, the cinema we know today and the cinema of back then were little alike. Silent movies and black and white motion pictures forced the audience to use the better part of their imagination to immerse themselves. Even so, this was a turning point in history that made people realise the value of a new industry on the rise and the possibility of investing in it.
The addition of colour and sound in cinema caused an undeniable revolution helping forward the emergence of several professions like movie directors, film editor, animators, production designers, etc. All the struggles to synchronise audio with visuals paid off by the 1930s during which the golden years of cinema began and continued till the 1940s. The audience for cinema only began to dwindle once the ideas for television began to get introduced. The personalised home entertainment caused a wave of worry for the cinema industry to maintain interest in it being faced with this new competition.
With the introduction of the internet, TV has also begun to lose the relevance it once had and people now prefer to either stream online, use OTT’s or other free video streaming platforms like YouTube, etc. TVs are still bought for gaming purposes but not used as often as it used to be for the original intended purpose.
As the years passed, though cinema had seen a steady reduction in audience, it never lost relevance. The government’s decision to pass an entertainment tax also kept the development industry alive. Until this week, the 18 percent GST was applicable on F&B in the theatres, causing the food bought within cinema to be expensive for the common man.
“I go very rarely to buy food at the cinema because of the price. If the amount is affordable, I’m willing to buy it, but if not, I’d rather go out to eat,” says 17-year old Arushesh Naik from Canacona. On finding out about the tax reduction, he adds, “If prices have been reduced, I’ll surely go if there’s a movie I really want to see. I like films based on the Marvel Universe and I really wish they would start to air more anime movies in the cinema too.”
As F&B is one of the main sources of revenue for cinemas, it is counterproductive to maintain a tax that majority cannot afford to give. As GST for F&B in cinema halls are categorised as restaurant taxes, confusion arose in several states about the GST they were imposing. After receiving these grievances, the Multiples Association of India (MAI) appealed to the GST council which prompted quick action and held a meeting to discuss the taxes earlier this week.
“I buy food when I go to cinema but it depends on which show I’m going to see. The reduction in GST makes a lot of difference, in my opinion. For middle class people, the ticket itself is a big amount. If the whole family goes to the movies plus the food cost, a lot of money goes,” says Nikkita Kole, a 20-year-old from Siolim. “Most of the time I go to the cinema because of the sound system. When the movie reviews are good and if my favourite actors are there in it I’d definitely prefer to go to the cinema. Sitting in a theatre is a totally different experience.”
Even with the rise of OTTs, Nikkita asserts that she doesn’t feel like cinema will go out of fashion. “I think people like both OTTs and cinema because the two are completely different experiences.”
Reducing the tax to five percent will benefit those who want the full theatre experience. “I buy food when I go for a movie. I feel that there are people who don’t really focus that much on the price of the food as their need to munch. But in cases where people would find the food quite pricey, they may now be more inclined to treat themselves with cinema food thanks to the reduced GST,” says Iola Pinto from Porvorim.
She further adds, “I still have the movie ticket to pay for, let alone the food. But for me, the reduced tax has nothing much do with me going to the cinema. I think I would stick to my usual amount of times, which is once or twice in two months. Everything is better on a big screen and I always go with friends. Watching movies together brings us all closer and excites us in different ways. It awakens you and gets you hooked to the story and gives you the ability to feel the emotions of the characters and relate to them as well. Movies at the theatre will always have a special place in my heart.”
She also says that her decision to go for movies is mostly based on the actors it features or the franchise it is from. “Watching Sci-Fi, fantasy and adventure films on the big screen hits different, especially if it’s in 3D.” Are OTTs reducing the relevance of cinema? She says, “OTTs are quite convenient. You can watch anywhere at any time. But what it can’t give us is the whole cinematic experience, sitting in a large room with the lights turned down and with just the light of the big movie screen hitting everyone’s faces. I’d say we pay more attention to the film this way and it’s also a sort of social gathering as you’re surrounded by people interested in the same film as you. I feel that the cinema can never lose its charm. As the big screen comes to life, there’s a light that ignites within us and shines the whole way through.”
“I don’t buy food from the cinema hall because I think the prices are really unreasonable. I could literally enjoy a decent snack at a food joint or a restaurant,” states 20-year-old Delanne Dias from St Inez. After being asked if she’d buy food with the reduced GST, she replies, “Yes. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy some popcorn and cold beverage as long as it doesn’t make a hole in your pocket? It is really expensive when you take your entire family out to a movie and buy them snacks and drinks when one person is footing the bill.”
She admits that she still wouldn’t go to the cinema too often as she prefers using Netflix and Prime in the comfort of her own home. According to her, OTTs have made cinemas lose some appeal but the reducing of the GST seems to be remedying that. “If the movie trailer seems interesting or if my friends insist we go to the cinema, I’d go watch a movie. I think the ‘Barbie’ movie set to come out on July 21 is one I’m actually looking forward to watching in the cinema, because it seems really cool
