By Apurva Bhatt

 The BJP-Sena government on Thursday  announced that Marathi cinema will be get the slot between 12noon and 9pm at multiplexes.

The producers and exhibitors, who met cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde for two days in a row, get to go with the changing tastes of the audience and a realistic assumption of profits that can be garnered — the cardinal Box Office rules — to draw more crowds and profits for the industry."Thus if the movie is meant for youth and women, shows can held be between noon and 5pm. If it is for family, it may be slotted from 6pm onwards. We have given that right to the producers," said Tawde.

To facilitate this solution, the state government on Thursday stepped back from its stand that only the coveted evening slot will work for Marathi movies in city multiplexes. Tawde said a committee of four members—two producers and two exhibitors—would resolve any dispute. "If the committee fails, then the minister will step in," he said. Tawde had announced in the assembly on Wednesday that Marathi movies have to be shown in the prime time 6-9pm slots.

However, with many deeming it unrealistic, he appealed to producers and exhibitors to come up with a solution.Earlier, Marathi movies would get pulled from city screens when a Bollywood big release happened. "A week after 'Duniyadaari' was released, Shah Rukh Khan's 'Chennai Express' came and steamrolled it. There was some arm-twisting before it came back on," said filmmaker-producer Suhrud Godbole. This wasn't the case in the rest of Maharashtra as sometimes Marathi gets a better opening than Hindi, he added.