The theatrical release of Vinod Kapri’s Pyre has become the centre of a distribution dispute after the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to examine a sudden collapse in the film’s screen count around the release of Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.
In a letter to minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta said the independent film had expanded through word of mouth from 80 screens to nearly 400, then dropped to fewer than 100 after Ramayana opened. The association described the decline as a loss of about 75 per cent of its theatrical footprint.
What AICWA wants
Gupta said the association was not opposing Ramayana or its success. He noted that a big-budget production creates work for hundreds of artists, technicians and workers, and should be allowed to profit so payments move on time. His objection, he wrote, is to a big release being allowed to remove a smaller film that viewers are already supporting: “A big film’s success should not come at the cost of a small film that audiences are already embracing.”
The letter lists specific demands:
- a fair screen allocation policy that protects smaller Indian productions;
- a grievance redressal mechanism for independent and low-budget filmmakers;
- an impartial inquiry into Pyre falling from nearly 400 screens to fewer than 100 despite reported audience response;
- FIRs against theatre owners and distributors found to be at fault; and
- restoration of as many Pyre screens and shows as possible while the inquiry continues.
Why the fight is bigger than one film
The association framed the issue as a structural problem. Gupta pointed to Hanuman Ansh, reported to have been made for Rs 2 crore and to have earned more than Rs 450 crore, as an illustration of what a smaller production can do. Independent filmmakers, he wrote, already struggle to raise financing and secure theatrical slots; losing a film that has found an audience can deter producers, choke new talent and hit the livelihoods of film workers.
Kapri’s earlier complaint
Kapri had raised the issue in a video message on X before the association’s letter. He alleged that theatre owners and distributors were told to prioritise one film at the expense of others, though he did not name it. “If you have spent a lot of money, then we have spent our soul in making a film. We deserve a fair chance,” he said. His post carried the line: “This is not fair, not to Pyre. Not to your audience.”
Pyre, directed by the National Award-winning Kapri and reportedly made on a budget of Rs 2.5 crore, follows an elderly couple in a Himalayan village who wait for children who remain away. It features newcomers and has drawn attention for its restrained treatment of loneliness, ageing and life in the mountains.
The dispute now puts a familiar trade tension on the record: whether the theatrical market’s handling of a major release should be treated as a business decision alone, or as an access question that needs review.
Source: India Today
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