'All We Imagine As Light's lack of screens has no connection with Pushpa 2', says trade

Divya Prabha and Hridhu Haroon in All We Imagine as Light

In a space of two weeks, the Indian audience was treated to two different releases. Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light made history by making Payal Kapadia the first Indian to score the Best Director nomination at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, while Pushpa 2: The Rule rewrote history at the Indian box office with its stupendous collections. Yet, only one of them finds a place in theatres. On Tuesday, filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane called out the Allu Arjun-starrer for dominating screens across multiplexes, leaving no room for Kapadia's gem to "breathe" or "find an audience". With All We Imagine as Light set to be re-released in select theatres, Motwane's post has brought the question out in the open: Do mainstream entertainers sideline independent films, making it difficult for them to survive?

Allu Arjun in Pushpa 2: The Rule

Trade expert Girish Wankhede strongly disagrees with Motwane. "All We Imagine… released on November 22 and had a two-week run. One understands that such a film needs institutional push, but any film needs to show 40 per cent occupancy for it to be carried forward. It couldn't fill the occupancy requirement; its lack of screens has no connection with Pushpa 2. Since Pushpa 2 is showing 80 per cent occupancy, it is preferred," reasons Wankhede.

Payal Kapadia, Onir and Vikramaditya Motwane. Pics/AFP, Yogen Shah, Instagram

If one looks at the screen count, it is skewed. Pushpa 2 is running in 4,500 screens across the country; in contrast, All We Imagine… is expected to be re-released in 200 screens on Friday. But trade expert Akshaye Rathi says that films like the Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam-starrer require alignment of all channels, especially in today's unpredictable market. Rathi says, "The makers of Pushpa 2 were in discussion with cinema owners for eight months before the film was released. All We Imagine's distributors should've engaged with the exhibition sector and figured a way to make it reach the masses. For instance, Cinepolis is doing a week-long Japanese anime film festival in January, and it will be robustly promoted. We need to engage to make space for each other. No one wants to kill independent cinema because for theatre owners, people who appreciate such cinema are also [a source of income]."

Weighing in on the debate, filmmaker Onir says that indie films have been shortchanged for long in this country. He, however, asserts that the onus is not on exhibitors alone; he believes everyone, from the media to the audience, should do their part to support small films. "All We Imagine... didn't get funding in India. Even the media didn't talk about it. Not enough viewers watch indie cinema whereas the masses make sure that the [mainstream] films work," he notes. Onir says that change must begin from the top. "Has All We Imagine... been made tax free? Why are ministers not watching it? There has to be government support. Multiplexes have bled during the pandemic. So, now they are trying to recover money. Every producer will want their film to make money. So, whom do you blame? It's a vicious cycle."