From VHS to OTT: The struggle to keep Bengaluru’s film societies alive in the digital age 

Gone are the days when film societies thrived in Bengaluru with regular screenings and discussions. Has the void really been filled by digital platforms and other fora?

Bengaluru’s film society culture, once vibrant and thriving, is now struggling to stay relevant. With streaming platforms, festivals and multiplexes dominating entertainment choices, film societies face dwindling audiences and financial strain.  

Among the very few societies the city still has, Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari stands out as the city’s pioneer. Founded in 1971, it has a legacy spanning over 50 years. During a time when access to international and independent cinema was limited, Suchitra introduced people of Bengaluru to world cinema, rare classics, and art films, building a community of passionate film lovers. This society helped shape the city’s film culture, providing a space where cinema could be discussed, celebrated, and appreciated beyond mainstream trends. Today, however, Suchitra and other film societies like it are struggling to survive in a world transformed by digital entertainment.  

Speaking to The Hindu, Anand Varadaraj, founder, of Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF) and executive committee member at Suchitra Film Society, says that the technological growth and traffic snarls in the city have affected audiences that come to film societies and art festivals in general. “Friends who live beyond Koramangala or Whitefield do not want to come watch a play at Ranga Shankara, or a screening at Suchitra because they feel it’s really very far 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 the dwindling audiences in film societies. However, film festivals that happen annually still have a crowd, because these are films that are not even available on OTT.” 

It would be wrong to say that the culture of film society is completely gone, but it is not the same anymore, he feels. “Earlier films that were screened were hard to find for a regular audience from Bengaluru, and people would wait for such screenings, but now it is a completely different ball game. At Suchitra, we have a screening every Friday and have about 40-50 people walking in. However, most of these audiences are withing the 5-6 km radius,” he adds. 

New attractions at Suchitra 

Anand says that the Suchitra Film Society has been trying to make the space more engaging with new attractions, “It is a 50-year-old society and there are many people who have grown up with this. Since it was started in the 70s, we have lost track of many of the members who have changed their addresses and shifted from landlines to mobile phones. But, we still have a good 700 plus-member count, out of which many have life-time memberships also. We are trying to keep the space more engaging with regular events including Sahithya Sanje, a new cafe that has become a hub for film discussions, casting directors, script writers and more. A studio space is available for dance and theatre rehearsals. Our auditorium can be booked by filmmakers for screenings. We have also set up a library in collaboration with JustBooks, that also includes some books on films by Suchitra.”    

Apart from Suchitra, some of the running film societies/clubs in the city are, Unnati Studio Theatre, near Hosakerahalli, founded by late academician H.V. Venugopal in 2018, which has been screening films every Saturday with a monthly theme. Bangalore Creative Circus (BCC) and the Initiative for Climate Action started the Climate Film Club which screens documentaries and feature films every Sunday at the BCC office in Yeshwantpur. On the other hand, The Film Club hosted by Lahe Lahe at Kodihalli meets on the third Saturday of each month. However, instead of holding screenings, members meet to discuss movies they have watched.  

Not like Kerala or Bengal

Senior film director and the pioneer of Kannada parallel cinema Girish Kasaravalli says that film societies became alternate venues for screenings, but never built a film culture in Karnataka like they did in West Bengal and Kerala. “There were eight film societies in Bengaluru earlier, but very few of them built a film culture, held discussion with filmmakers and audiences. They would simply screen films. Not many people in the audience would come there for the love of cinema. They would walk in just for the entertainment,” he adds. 

Kasaravalli says that audiences these days are better informed and have better access. “Those who want to watch world cinema have their own sources and ways to get them now. They are not dependent on film societies. Films are easily available on OTT or YouTube. Earlier people went to film societies because that was the only opportunity to catch up with international cinema. A film that is announced today is available for everyone at their fingertips within one or two days.”  

Prakash Belawadi, a multi-lingual actor and film director, says that when people could not get quality international cinema through television or films festivals, film societies became very important. “Back then filmmakers in these societies explained the context, techniques, genres and politics of each film that was screened. It influenced a lot of new filmmakers. The first shift or compromise on film societies happened a long time ago when video home system (VHS) cassettes came. Of course, it was initially accessible by the upper class, but as technology grows, it becomes cheaper and easily available,” he explains. 

“The film society movement in the last 40 years has gone down, it no longer has the same power. When Satyajit Ray came to Bengaluru decades ago, he was amazed to see a thriving movement. But his surprise was itself a hint that its hay days were over already. Now, with OTT, social media and more, unless a film society creates relevance with discussions and more, it is hard for it to go on,” says Belawadi.

Film director and screenwriter Abhay Simha says, “There was one society called Vikalp that featured a lot of offbeat films, and something called Chitrasamuha run by late S. Ramachandra, another society called Collective Chaos. But now there are not many active film societies. Physically going somewhere and watching a film has become extremely difficult these days. OTT and the perception that we have access to everything has changed a lot. Film societies were more than about just films, it was the discussion and talks post a screening. That has gone down and has been taken over by social media discussions.” 

Revamp film societies 

Harshil Koushik, an actor and cinema buff, says film societies have been breeding grounds for a lot of filmmakers in the past. “They had access to very rare films and films that need to be celebrated. If film societies revamp the way they work and their infrastructure, they can still be spaces where aspiring filmmakers come together, watch films, and discuss,” he says.  

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

According to Vidyashankar N., artistic director, Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFes), the culture of film societies started to decline when television started getting popular from the 80s-90s. “Subsequently now with new platforms and digital media network growing, people have greater access to films in their drawing rooms,” he says. 

Other fora

However, he points out that there are a lot of forums today that are screening good films, a lot of youngsters are conducting community viewings, wherever possible, which is sort of a film society movement. “Universities also have film education where a large number of students get to watch films that were earlier accessible only in film societies. Film society does not exist in the same format it used to 30 years ago, but the purpose is being served on different platforms,” explains Vidyashankar.  

Published - November 15, 2024 09:00 am IST