Editorial
The ban on South Asian movies
Local industry protection hasn't led to quality productions
THE move to lift the ban and then not to lift the ban on Indian movies raises a very fundamental question about decision-making at the government level. The other day, the commerce ministry informed the country that Indian movies, banned in Bangladesh since the early 1970s (a move first made in 1965 by the then Pakistani government), would be allowed back in. The reason given out was that cinema halls have remained largely empty with people not very drawn to watching films produced in Bangladesh. In effect, it was to give a spurt to the movie houses in the financial sense that motivated the decision. And then, before citizens had a real chance of assessing the move, the government came in with the news that Indian movies would after all not be allowed back in Bangladesh.
Now, the manner in which the first decision was made and then was swiftly followed by the second is something that worries us. There are important questions involved here. In the first place, on what ground did the commerce ministry take upon itself the task of removing the ban on Indian movies? As a minister has noted, a decision on such a sensitive issue cannot be taken unilaterally by a single ministry when there is an entire cabinet to do the job. In the second, one must ask why the prime minister must get involved in nearly every sphere of decision-making. We have observed with consternation that ministers, individually as well as collectively, are in most instances unable to decide on matters which fall within their jurisdiction and instead depend on the prime ministerial nod before making a move. This attitude is certainly debilitating and can only lead to a further question: is there no agenda for the cabinet other than waiting for the head of government to decide an issue?
The authorities have by keeping the ban in force succumbed to pressure from the local film industry. It is simply a case of playing to the gallery. The truth is that in the last 39 years, barring honourable exceptions, there has been no qualitative improvement in our movies and indeed they have been on a continuous slide. If people do not visit cinema houses to watch low quality movies, can one really blame them? We would certainly like to come by quality foreign movies from around the globe. English, Russian, Korean, Japanese and other movies have regularly impressed people. Why must we be deprived of the chance to watch them? Besides, all this demand for keeping foreign movies at bay is really ridiculous given that families these days can and do watch all kinds of movies from around the world on home videos.
Finally, one cannot ignore the importance of competition as being pivotal to the attainment of excellence. Allowing foreign movies into the country can only spur the local film industry into striving for the heights of aesthetic accomplishment. The ban, in our view, in effect means taking a myopic view of realities.
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