Key stakeholders from the Bengali film industry, popularly known as Tollywood, are set to meet the Commissioner of Police in Kolkata on Tuesday. Their primary agenda is to formally request a thorough investigation into the alleged misuse of social media platforms and coordinated trolling campaigns that they believe are deliberately undermining the film business.
Beyond Trolls: A Multifaceted Crisis
While the meeting will focus on online harassment, industry insiders suggest the problems run much deeper. The move comes at a time when Tollywood's trade remains weak, despite supportive measures like the state government's mandate for a prime-time show dedicated to Bengali films and the formation of a special screening panel. Recent major releases have failed to ignite the box office.
The Puja releases of 2024 — films like ‘Raghu Dakat', ‘Raktabeej 2', ‘Devi Chowdhurani' and ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei' — did not achieve superhit status. Similarly, the Christmas lineup, including ‘Projapoti 2', ‘Lawho Gouranger Naam Rey' and ‘Mitin: Ekti Khunir Sandhaney', could not compete with the steady performance of the film ‘Dhurandar', which had released earlier on December 5.
Inflated Figures and Shrinking Revenue Streams
Producer Rana Sarkar highlighted a critical issue plaguing the industry: the circulation of inaccurate box office data. He pointed out that in Bengal, the maximum gross business a film can realistically achieve in a week is around Rs 3 crore. "But we often see inflated or fake figures being promoted by PR agencies to change perception," Sarkar stated, adding complexity to an already difficult situation.
The financial distress is evident in other areas. A dedicated Bengali movie channel is shutting down merely six months after its launch, and another has stopped acquiring Bengali films. Films made with a satellite price tag of Rs 3-4 crore are struggling to find buyers on OTT or satellite platforms. The reason, according to Sarkar, is that advertisers are unlikely to generate enough revenue post-telecast for broadcasters to recover their costs.
The Rise of Aggressive Fan Clubs and Narrative Wars
The industry has been grappling with unruly fan clubs, whose activities have escalated both online and offline. Online complaints include crude trolling, threats against star children, and personal attacks that often degrade women. Offline, fans have been known to disrupt ticket counters, aggressively demanding extra shows for their favourite actors.
There are also serious allegations of agencies manipulating online ticketing platforms through negative rankings. These concerns are expected to be on the table during Tuesday's meeting with the police chief.
As theatre attendance declines, insecurity has grown, leading to more coordinated efforts to control online narratives. A common tactic has been to flood social media with positive reviews to counter any criticism. "This is the first year where we hear open allegations about competing makers hiring agencies to post negative reviews of films immediately to demolish a rival," revealed Rana Sarkar.
Introspection Time: Quality and Internal Conflicts
However, many observers argue that blaming trolls alone would be unfair without addressing the industry's internal creative and structural challenges. There is a growing concern over the limited time devoted to screenplay writing and filmmaking. Tollywood has recently adopted a formula of completing feature-film shoots within just 14 days, justified by citing a small market.
"While corners are cut, producers continue to bleed since the remuneration of some directors, stars, actors and technicians don't go down," Sarkar explained, highlighting a fundamental economic mismatch.
Another insider pointed to the damaging internal conflicts, stating, "People with swollen egos are fighting among themselves. Once-rebels are changing sides and blaming the rest of the world for ‘misunderstanding'. Time has come to introspect." This war of words, they fear, is further tarnishing Tollywood's public image at a time when unity and quality content are desperately needed.
