Bengaluru’s film society culture, once vibrant and thriving, is now struggling to remain relevant. With streaming platforms, festivals and multiplexes dominating entertainment options, film societies face declining audiences and financial stress.

There are still very few societies in the city, among them Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari stands out as the leading institution of the city. Established in 1971, its legacy spans over 50 years. At a time when access to international and independent cinema was limited, Suchitra introduced the people of Bengaluru to world cinema, rare classics and art films and created a community of passionate film lovers. This society helped shape the city’s film culture, providing a space where cinema beyond mainstream trends could be discussed, celebrated and appreciated. However, today, Suchitra and other film societies like her are struggling to survive in a world transformed by digital entertainment.

talking to The HinduAnand Varadaraj, founder of the Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF) and executive committee member of Suchitra Film Society, says technological advances and traffic jams in the city have affected the audience coming to film societies and art festivals in general. “Friends who live beyond Koramangala or Whitefield do not want to come to watch a play at Ranga Shankara or a screening at Suchitra because they feel it is really far away and will not be able to reach on time. The growth of over-the-top media services (OTT) and film festivals going online have also majorly contributed to declining viewership across film societies. However, the annual film festivals still attract crowds because these are films that are not even available on OTT.

It would be wrong to say that the culture of the film society has completely vanished, but he believes that it is no longer what it was before. “Earlier the films that were screened were difficult to find for regular audiences in Bengaluru and people used to wait for such screenings, but now it is a completely different ball game. At Suchitra, we do a screening every Friday and around 40-50 people come to it. However, most of these visitors are within a radius of 5-6 km,” he further said.

New attractions in Suchitra

Anand says that Suchitra Film Society is trying to make the place more attractive with new attractions, “This is a 50-year-old society and there are many people who have grown up with it. Since it began in the 70s, we have lost track of many members who have changed their address and moved from landlines to mobile phones. But, we still have a good number of over 700 members, many of whom also have lifetime membership. We are trying to keep this space more attractive with regular events, including Sahitya Sanjay, a new café that has become a hub for film discussions, casting directors, screenwriters and others. A studio space is available for dance and theater rehearsals. Our auditorium can be booked for screening by film makers. We have also set up a library in collaboration with JustBooks, which includes some books on Suchitra’s films.

Apart from Suchitra, some of the film societies/clubs running in the city are Unnathi Studio Theatre, near Hosakerahalli, founded in 2018 by late educationist HV Venugopal, which has been screening films with monthly themes every Saturday. Bangalore Creative Circus (BCC) and Initiative for Climate Action started the Climate Film Club, which screens documentaries and feature films every Sunday at the BCC office in Yeshwanthpur. On the other hand, the film club organized by Lahe Lahe at Kodihalli meets on the third Saturday of every month. However, rather than holding screenings, members meet to discuss films they have seen.

not like kerala or bengal

Senior film director and pioneer of Kannada parallel cinema Girish Kasaravalli says that film societies became alternative venues for screening, but they never created a film culture in Karnataka like in West Bengal and Kerala. “Earlier there were eight film societies in Bengaluru, but very few of them created film culture, interaction with filmmakers and audiences. They will simply screen movies. Many in the audience will not be there for the love of cinema. They came just for fun,” he added.

Girish Kasaravalli Photo Courtesy: Bhagya Prakash

Kasaravalli says that audiences these days are better informed and have better access. “People who want to watch world cinema now have their own sources and ways to get it. They are not dependent on film societies. Movies are easily available on OTT or YouTube. Earlier people used to go to film societies because this was the only opportunity to connect with international cinema. The film that has been announced today will be available to everyone within a day or two.

Prakash Belwadi Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar

Multilingual actor and film director Prakash Belawadi says that when people could not get quality international cinema through television or film festivals, film societies became very important. “Filmmakers in these societies at the time interpreted the context, technology, style, and politics of each film that was released. It influenced many new filmmakers. The first changes or compromises on film societies occurred a long time ago when video home system (VHS) cassettes arrived. Of course, initially it was accessible to the upper class, but as technology advances, it becomes cheaper and easily available,” he explains.

“The film society movement has weakened in the last 40 years, it no longer has the same strength as before. When Satyajit Ray came to Bengaluru decades ago, he was surprised to see a thriving movement. But his surprise was in itself a sign that his bad days were already over. Now, with OTT, social media and much more, unless a film creates relevance with society discussions and more, it is difficult for it to grow,” says Belawadi.

Film director and screenwriter Abhay Simha says, “There was a society called Vikalp which screened a lot of offbeat films, and a society called Chitrasamuha run by the late S. Ramachandra, there was another society called Collective Chaos . But now there are not many active film societies. It has become extremely difficult these days to physically go somewhere and watch a movie. OTT and the notion that we have access to everything has changed a lot. Film societies were more than just the films, it was the discussion and conversation that took place after the screening. “It has diminished and has been taken over by social media discussions.”

Reconstruct film societies

Actor and cinema lover Harshil Kaushik says that film societies have been the breeding ground for many filmmakers in the past. “He had very rare films and films that needed to be celebrated. If film societies improve the way they work and their infrastructure, they can still be places where aspiring filmmakers come together, watch and discuss films,” he says.

“In a place like Suchitra where there is a very good screen and sound system, the effect of watching the film will be much better than watching it on a laptop or mobile phone. I believe a film is a community viewing experience and when watched together it has a bigger impact,” he argues.

Vidyashankar N., Artistic Director of Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFF). According to , when television started becoming popular in the 80-90s, the culture of film societies started to decline. “Nowadays, with the rise of new platforms and digital media networks, people have more access to films in their drawing rooms,” he says.

other platforms

However, he points out that today there are a lot of platforms which are screening good films, a lot of youth are organizing community film viewings wherever possible, which is in a way a film society movement. “There is also film education in universities where a large number of students get to see films that were previously only available in film societies. “The film society does not exist in the format it used to exist 30 years ago, but the objective is being served on different platforms,” explains Vidyashankar.