Amid “Bengali Asmita” push by the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, all cinema halls and multiplexes in the state have been ordered to screen at least one Bangla film every day in the prime time slot – 3 pm to 9 pm – with immediate effect.
“…in every cinema hall and all screens of multiplexes, a mandatory show of at least one Bengali film must be held throughout the year for 365 days,” read the notification issued on Wednesday by the Principal Secretary of the state Information & Cultural Affairs Department.
The order further stated that necessary amendments to the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation of Public Exhibition) Rules, 1956, will be made to formalise this directive.
The move comes after Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee launched a statewide “Bhasha Andolan (language movement)” from July 17 to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states.
Welcoming the order of mandatory Bangla film screening, Minister of Public Works and Youth Affairs Aroop Biswas said it was a “historic step” and aimed at ensuring screening of Bangla movies throughout the year and promoting the local film industry.
“Our chief minister, who loves culture, has come up with this directive to promote the Bangla language and the film industry. Previously, the prime time was from 12 pm to 9 pm. So, most screens used to show Bangla movies at noon. Now, we have changed the prime time slot — 3 pm to 9 pm,” Biswas said at a press conference here.
He said as per the previous notification of September 14, 2018, the film halls were required to show 120 Bangla movies a year. “Now, each screen will have to screen one Bangla movie daily — 365 films annually. For a two-screen multiplex, 730 Bangla films have to be screened annually, for a three-screen multiplex, it will be 1,095 screenings a year, and for four-screen multiplexes, it is 1,460,” Biswas added.
Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen said it was a historic day, “not only for cinema but for the revival of Bengali asmita and culture”.
According to him, the decision would help provide a “vast platform” for small producers who previously struggled to find venues to exhibit their films.
Actor Rituparna Sengupta, who also addressed the TMC press conference, welcomed the move, saying, “It is a much-needed step. I have been fighting for this. I am happy that this has been done today.”
“As directors, producers, it is our responsibility to bring good cinema to the audience. I think this decision has come a little late. However, it is always better late than never. I work with independent directors and producers. So, this is really an important decision for a person like me. Bangla cinema has a lot of constraints. One of which is that a lot of filmmakers are always in fear whether they will get distributors to showcase their films. This directive is going to end this problem,” Sengupta added.
On possible financial losses to the cinema hall owners, due to low viewership of Bangla films, Minister Biswas said: “We have reviewed the viewership. Today, Bangla cinemas are more popular than Hindi. The word-of-mouth publicity also results in huge hits.”
Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bangla language has emerged as a significant political issue, with the Trinamool Congress government actively promoting its use. This push for Bengali pride, or “Bangla Asmita,” is seen as a key strategy to counter the BJP and appeal to local identity.
A recent example is the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s directive, making it mandatory for shops and businesses to display signboards in Bangla, alongside any other languages. While the TMC frames this as a necessary step to protect the state’s cultural heritage, opposition parties have criticised it as a political ploy.
The language debate has also been fuelled by allegations of mistreatment and “linguistic discrimination” against Bengali-speaking migrant workers in some BJP-ruled states — a charge the TMC has used to target the BJP and position itself as the protector of Bengali identity.
Last month, while speaking at the ‘Mahanayak Samman’ award ceremony, held on the death anniversary of matinee idol Uttam Kumar, the chief minister had called for promoting the use of Bengali in film and TV productions in the state.
“Sob bhasai bhalo, sob gaan bhaalo (every language is good, every song is good), but we must make a serious effort in promoting our mother tongue and make the younger generation respectful towards our culture,” the chief minister had said.
“Give space to films made in other languages, but please give priority to Bengali works,” she had added.
The government has directed cinema halls, multiplexes to screen Bangla films between 3 pm and 9 pm. (Partha Paul) 
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