Pyre Screen Cut Nearly 75% After Ramayana; AICWA Seeks Probe

Vinod Kapri’s Pyre has become the latest flashpoint in the old tussle between small cinema and big-ticket releases. After winning over critics and audiences, the film is now at the centre of a screen-allocation fight that has reached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

What happened to Pyre’s shows?

Kapri raised the alarm earlier this week, saying Pyre’s theatrical footprint had shrunk by nearly 75 per cent after Ramayana arrived. He had appealed to exhibitors to keep the film on screens, pointing to packed houses and a strong audience response.

The numbers make the drop starker. Pyre was reportedly made for ₹2.5 crore. It began with an 80-screen release, then expanded to roughly 400 screens on word of mouth, according to the All India Cine Workers Association. Now, the association says, the film has slipped below 100 screens.

The workers’ body steps in

AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta has written to I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, asking for an impartial inquiry into how Pyre’s shows were cut. The association is also pushing for systemic change: a fair screen allocation policy for Indian cinema, so smaller films are not crowded out when a major release arrives.

• a fair screen allocation policy for Indian films
• an impartial inquiry into the reduction in Pyre’s shows
• maximum screens and shows for Pyre
• FIRs against anyone found guilty of squeezing the film’s theatrical run

The body has been careful to say it is not against Ramayana. In the letter, Gupta acknowledges that the large-scale production has generated work for hundreds of technicians, junior artistes and other professionals, and says he hopes it succeeds commercially so producers profit and workers get paid.

Why this matters for film fans

This is not just an industry argument. It decides what actually reaches your nearest multiplex. When a small film has earned its audience, a sudden screen cut can strand viewers who still want to watch it. AICWA’s social-media appeal put it with a slogan: “Small Films, Big Dreams: Give Them Screens, Give Them a Chance!”

There is a genuine tension here. Big films bring scale, jobs and box-office muscle; small films often supply new voices and the next generation of stars. A screen policy that protects both could keep cinemas fuller for longer, instead of betting everything on one weekend.

What happens next?

The ball is now with the ministry. If an inquiry finds merit in the complaint, it could push exhibitors and distributors to think harder about how they schedule smaller titles alongside tentpoles. For now, Pyre’s team wants the film back where word of mouth had already taken it.

Source: Filmfare