�Definition of box office has shrunk\'

Kochi: In a recap of the heyday of film societies in the State, � Yathi-the Pause in Between, a film made by a group of enthusiastic youngsters and directed by debutant Satheesh Mullakkal, premiered at a parallel venue, the Maharajas College Auditorium, here on Sunday.

Produced by �Theatre Lab, a centre for experimental theatre studies, Yathis premier show was aptly preceded with a debate on the �Democratisation Cinema. Presenting the topic, Shashi Kumar, Chairman of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, said that the very concept of �democratisation should be probed. �Should we democratise cinema or should we look at the democratisation of the audience? he asked.

As a case in point, Mr. Shashi Kumar cited Hindi cinema as having shifted to a milieu exclusive of �village and argued that the definition of box office had shrunk. �Village was a virtual presence in Hindi cinema in the 1960s. The milieu has now become completely urban: shopping malls, bars, clubs� The box office has been undemocratised,� he said.