As the elections come near, the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal is whipping up the ‘Bengali pride’ to fetch political clout. In bid to burnish its pro-Bengali pride credentials, the CM Mamata Banerjee-led government has issued an order mandating 365-day screening of Bengali films in cinema halls and multiplexes. 

In order dated 13th August 2025, the West Bengal government stated that the screenings of Bengali films shall mandatorily be held throughout the year, with at least one Bengali show per day for all 365 days during the year. The order states that Bengali movies must be shown on every screen every day in multiplexes. If there are 4 screens in a multiplex, all four screens must show a Bengali movie every day during the prime time.

“In every Cinema hall, and in all screens (each screen) of every multiplex situated in this State, 365 prime time shows/screenings of Bengali films shall mandatorily be held throughout the year, with at least one Bengali show per day for all 365 days during the year. Explanation: Prime time shows shall mean shows held between 3:00 PM to 9.00 PM,” the order signed by Santanu Basu, the Principle Secretary to the West Bengal Government reads. 

Government of West Bengal issues notification – “In every Cinema hall, and in all screens (each screen) of every multiplex situated in this State, 365 prime time shows/screenings of Bengali films shall mandatorily be held throughout the year, with at least one Bengali show per… pic.twitter.com/tjcQYcoUa2

— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2025

As per the notification, the daily screening comes into effect immediately and will remain in force until further notice. The state government also added that necessary amendments will be made to the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation of Public Exhibitions) Rules, 1956.

Notably, in a 2018 directive, the TMC government had ordered cinema halls to screen one Bengali film for a minimum of 120 days annually during prime time (noon to 9 PM). However, now the government has extended this for all 365 days during the year. 

While the TMC argues that this move will boost regional Bengali cinema by ensuring equitable showtimes for Bengali movies in theatres, it is economically unsustainable. In desperation to send out a political message, the TMC government is essentially is forcing theatres to dedicate screen time for Bengali films, regardless of audience demand or film availability. Even in 2018, theatre owners had raised concerns about financial losses in areas with limited Bengali-speaking audience. Now, this full year mandate poses a risk of stifling theatre owner’s flexibility, reducing viewership which would translate into financial losses. 

In addition, the Bengali film industry would also be overburdened to produce enough quality content to fill daily slots across the state. The modern audience looks for diverse content, while forcing screening of Bengali films on a daily basis could result in flooding of screens with subpar films. The West Bengal government is also working on setting up mini-cinemas to promote Bengali films. 

The timing of this move suggests that the TMC government is using all tactics at hand to bolster its ‘Bhasha Andolan’. On 12th August, TMC MPs gathered at Makar Dwar outside the Parliament to voice their opposition against the alleged insult to Bengal. Prominent among the demonstrators were TMC MPs, including Yusuf Pathan, a former cricketer and current MP for Murshidabad, alongside Jaya Bachchan from the Samajwadi Party (SP). 

They protested to highlight the importance of preserving and promoting the Bengali language within the national discourse. Last week on Wednesday, TMC MPs carried out a protest in the Parliament premises over the alleged insult to Bengal. They held placards that read “Stop Insulting Bengal”. They also held portraits of national icons from Bengal, including Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose. 

Trinamool Congress has been conducting protest marches in West Bengal against the alleged targeting of migrants in the BJP-ruled States. The first such marches were conducted across the State on 27th July, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called for protests every weekend until the next year’s Assembly polls at a Martyrs’ Day rally on 21st July. 

Mamata Banerjee had alleged that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) notices are being issued to legitimate Indian citizens simply because they are from her State. “It is deeply unfortunate that a deliberate, systematic attempt is now being made to criminalise our language. Questions are being raised on whether Bengali is even a language,” the Chief Minister said in a post on X. 

“Bengali-speakers are being hounded, hunted, and humiliated in BJP-ruled states. NRC notices are being issued to legitimate Indian citizens simply because they are from Bengal. They seem to have forgotten that without Bengali, there would be no National Anthem or National Song,” she said. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Delhi Police of describing Bengali as a “Bangladeshi language”, calling it scandalous, anti-national and unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, Mamata Banerjee alleged that that Bengali-speaking citizens were being harassed and evicted from Jai Hind Colony in BJP-ruled Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, in the name of identifying and detaining illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. However, the Centre debunked CM Banerjee’s claim and informed TMC MP June Maliah in the Lok Sabha that no such eviction drive was undertaken by the Delhi government.

OpIndia reported recently, how the CM Banerjee has been training her guns against the BJP as BJP-ruled states, are witnessing action by the authorities against illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya inflitrators. From linking action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to Bengali pride to ordering 365-days compulsory screening of Bengali films in theatres across the state, it seems that the TMC is using Bengali pride as a political tool by rallying cultural sentiment, portraying itself as the ‘defender’ of Bengali heritage and linguistic pride against the BJP.