Plea in HC for fresh polls, new body

Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai : A senior medical practitioner has knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, alleging serious irregularities in the functioning of the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) and challenging the continuation of its current Administrator. In a petition filed through Advocate Sharad V. Natu, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant has termed the appointment and prolonged tenure of former MCA Chairman as “illegal and arbitrary,” and detrimental to the cause of Acupuncture....

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Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai : A senior medical practitioner has knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, alleging serious irregularities in the functioning of the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) and challenging the continuation of its current Administrator. In a petition filed through Advocate Sharad V. Natu, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant has termed the appointment and prolonged tenure of former MCA Chairman as “illegal and arbitrary,” and detrimental to the cause of Acupuncture. Dr. Beramji, who headed the five-member statutory body 's inaugural term (from May 2018 to May 2023), was subsequently appointed as its Administrator after the council’s term expired. According to Dr. Sawant’s plea, the Administrator’s appointment was initially meant to be a stop-gap arrangement for one year, and it was ‘extended’ later. However, nearly three years later, the position continues without fresh elections being conducted, raising questions over adherence to statutory norms and principles of governance. Dr. Sawant has further contended that while Dr. Beramji was installed as Administrator, the remaining members of the council were effectively superseded, leaving the regulatory body without its mandated collective structure, and over 6500-members directionless. The petition claims that the delay in conducting elections was justified on the grounds of an incomplete voter list, but this reason was flimsy considering the extended time lapse. The petition, likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday (April 21), also levelled serious allegations regarding the manner in which the MCA has been run under the Administrator. It claims decisions have been taken unilaterally, whimsically and without transparency or institutional accountability. Besides, Dr. Sawant has made allegations of selective targeting of certain members who have attempted to raise valid issues, including the globally-renowned noted acupuncture expert Dr. P. B. Lohiya of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Adding to the controversy, a former MCA office-bearer has claimed that over the past three years, approvals were granted to more than a dozen acupuncture colleges in undue haste, purportedly in violation of prescribed norms and alleged shady deals. These institutions, it is claimed, either exist only on paper or lack essential infrastructure, faculty, and facilities. In addition, around two dozen Continuous Acupuncture Education (CAE) centres were also cleared during this period. In his multiple prayers to the high court, Dr. Sawant has sought quashing Dr. Beramji’s appointment as MCA Administrator and setting aside all policy decisions taken during his tenure in that capacity in the last three years. The petition also urged the court to direct the state government to conduct elections to elect and reconstitute a new five-member MCA within two months. Pending this, the plea seeks an order restraining the Administrator from continuing in office or interfering in the functioning of the MCA or the CAEs in the interest of free and fair elections or the cause of Acupuncture. Sources within the MCA have described the situation as “deeply concerning,” alleging that individuals of international standing, such as Dr. Lohiya - who has treated prominent personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, the late Manoj Kumar, state and central ministers and other public figures - are being unfairly hounded. The petition has called for a comprehensive review of all decisions taken during the Administrator’s tenure, a financial audit of the MCA’s financial affairs, and an independent probe by the Medical Education & Drugs Department (MEDD) into the approvals granted to the institutions in recent years. Despite repeated attempts by ‘ The Perfect Voice’ , top MCA officials like the Administrator or the Registrar Narayan Nawale, were not available for their comments.

Why OTT rejects Marathi content?

Ruddhi Phadke
Jan 15, 2025
4 min read

EXPERTS IN MARATHI ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY POINT OUT THAT LACK OF AUDIENCE AND BUDGET ARE THE KEY FACTORS TO NOTE

Mumbai: While 'Amaltaash' starring renowned singer Rahul Deshpande triggered a stir on YouTube inviting a lot of appreciation from the audience thirsty for quality content, it definitely also paves way for a discussion on whether Marathi content struggling for an entry into the world of OTT is a norm or 'Amaltaash' is just a coincidence.

'The perfect Voice' spoke to several experts in the Marathi entertainment industry to find the answers. Most of them concluded saying the picture for Marathi content is extremely gloomy at present and that the conclusion lies in an answer to a question, "How many Marathi movies do Marathi speaking viewers watch per month?"

Speaking exclusively to "The Perfect Voice', Akshay Bardapurkar, who runs an OTT digital platform called Planet Marathi said, "Marathi content lacks budget and audience. Platforms like Netflix and Geo are doing re- ally well. They do not find an audience for Marathi films. South films, Hindi, are doing well, and many other regional films are doing much better than Marathi."

"OTT platforms need money to maintain their existence and hence they naturally turn to films that will get revenue. Marathi audience too are preferring Hindi content over Marathi. Picture is gloomy. Speaking about Amaltaash, it's a good thing that they have put it on YouTube because every artist wants his art to be seen by people. However, I don't see a recovery happening through YouTube."

No star faces

Clearly, OTT platforms are commercially driven, and for every content producer, it is a task to prove the fact that his or her content has the potential of bringing in revenue. Some experts pointed out that to prove the financial profitability of a movie, you have to have a star face that has a connection with the larger audience. For example, Madhuri Dixit's bucket list did very well on OTT because it had Madhuri as a selling point.

Sources said, unfortunately Marathi platform is used by emerging artists as a stepping stone to make it to Bollywood. A very few veterans like Nana Patekar or Dilip Prabhavalkar continue to contribute equally to the Marathi industry. Needless to say, probably veterans are so driven by passion for the art that they need not worry about the OTT.

Prabhavalkar politely declined to comment on the subject. He said, "I am not an OTT viewer. This concept is very new to me. I am the wrong person to comment.

Right now, I am engrossed in working on my upcoming film in Kudal village of Konkan."

Needs strong backing

Meanwhile, some sources in the industry also pointed out that the Marathi content needs a strong backing in the form of a big fish or an investor to push it through the OTT. Take the example of the very popular films - Coffee aani Barach kahi & Cycle. Both directed by a Marathi film director called Prakash Kunte. Both had veterans and stars that acted as a major selling point.

Speaking exclusively to "The Perfect Voice', Kunte additionally pointed out, "I was able to sell the movie- Coffee aani barach kahi, to a Studio who further sold it to Amazon Prime & satellite channels. Another movie that I made called Cycle, is rumoured to be the most watched Marathi movie on

Netflix. We were able to have it showcased on Netflix because V1-acom 18 joined our team as a co-producer."

Kunte said, "Unfortunately, I will admit that currently no one is interested in Marath! content. Marathi cinema is doing fraction- ally well to some extent, however the situation is extremely disappointing as far as Web series are concerned. The audience pocket size is very small. Marathi con- tent finds it difficult to get an OTT platform that is required essentially to recover the cost involved in making the film. For the first time in life, I have a film written, but I am scared of the future."

There are three options where you can generate revenue in this business-elther spend the release cost & showcase it through Theatres or try to sell it on OTT, or try for Television. In the case of Theatre, you need not depend on others, you can invest and have your film screened across the state.

However, there is stiff competition there. If your film doesn't do well compared to others you are wiped out. These days, OTT channels are not buying Marathi films, but are acquiring films on rental and revenue sharing per view ba- sis. So again, in such a case, if no one watches your movie, you don't earn anything and the mov- ie lies dormant on the app. "Fortunately till now, I have not faced difficult times entering an OTT platform purely because I had commercially viable backing," highlighted Kunte.

Another point that many of the industry experts pointed out is the promotional cost. Marathi producers try to work with very small budgets. Experts pointed

out that the answer lies in the ratio of cost of making the film to the cost of promoting the film. Sources said, if for example, you spend Rs. 5 lakh on making a film, you need to spend over Rs. 2.5 crore on actually promoting it and Marathi producers face a major difficulty there as they completely fail in promoting their content aggressively through all channels unlike other regional content producers.

Speaking exclusively to "The Perfect Voice', senior and popular actor Uday Tikekar said, "Animmediate solution to this issue is, that more Marathi businessmen should take initiative, raise money and have their own OTT plat- forms. When Marathi manoos enter the world of OTT in a big way, automatically the picture will change."

Many in the fraternity believe that the Marathi industry is currently surviving on a ventilator and with the advent of AI & worsening global geo-political | scenario, it's a difficult task to survive, & get out of the danger zone. "Once we're able to define the exact problem, the cure will follow," said Prakash Kunte.

Having painted a whole gloomy scenario, there's also a silver lining that brings in some positive energy. There is demand for Marathi content for sure, artists are willing to work hard and there is a pool of talent in Maharashtra. The problem lies in raising money. If somehow the Marathi viewers, creators and businessmen collaborate and find solutions to the financial crunch, Marathi content will spread like wildfire not just in the country but worldwide.

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