Cinema is not merely entertainment; it is a convergence of art, business, and audience experience. The February chapter of NDFF’s “Talk Cinema On The Floor” brought together filmmakers, scholars, and industry leaders for a meaningful dialogue on film economics, audience reception, and the evolving exhibition model. Special online guest Utpal Acharya offered sharp insights on multiplex pricing, the emerging miniplex model, and the future of content-driven cinema.
Amid changing audience behavior and the rapid rise of OTT platforms, the multiplex model needs to be reimagined. “Multiplexes must be democratised; pricing has to come down,” said noted mediapreneur and CEO of Content Engineers, Utpal Acharya. He was speaking as the special guest who joined online from Mumbai at the February chapter of Talk Cinema On The Floor (TCOTF), organised by the New Delhi Film Foundation (NDFF).
Organised jointly every month in collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Creativity (SACAC), the journey of this initiative began in June last year. Supported by institutions such as IICS and MESC, the interactive platform successfully hosted its seventh edition, titled the “February Chapter.” Held on 22 February at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Creativity, New Delhi, the session evolved into a dynamic forum to understand cinema from three interconnected perspectives — art, business, and audience experience.
The programme commenced with an address by NDFF Founder Ashish K. Singh. Highlighting the journey and objectives of TCOTF, he reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to fostering serious and meaningful dialogue on cinema. He emphasised that cinema must be understood not merely as entertainment, but as both a cultural force and an economic driver shaping society and industry alike.
With each edition bringing together new experts, experienced artists, technicians, fresh ideas and renewed energy from across the cinema ecosystem, this initiative has gradually evolved into a unique community-driven cinema space in the capital. Launched in June last year, NDFF’s initiative aims to build a serious, sensitive and vibrant creative community in the Delhi-NCR region — a space where filmmakers, writers, technicians, students, creative professionals and cinema lovers can come together to learn, collaborate and collectively strengthen their creative journeys.
“My Journey” — A New Segment Spotlighting Filmmaker Stories
In a fresh and engaging segment titled “My Journey” — introduced specially for Delhi-based filmmakers — filmmaker Irshad Dilliwala stepped forward to share his creative pathway. Dilliwala recounted how his career evolved from designing book covers in Meerut to studying at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. During his session, the trailer of his latest film Graduate Farzana was also screened, earning warm appreciation from the audience. Dilliwala went on to talk about the process of making the film and shared interesting perspectives on the realities and challenges of the film festival ecosystem. On this occasion Harish Sharma, the executive producer of Dilliwala’s film “Graduate Farzana”, was also present.
Understanding Audiences: Perspectives by Vibha Jha
The next speaker, film scholar Vibha Jha from Pune, delivered an engaging talk on “Indian Cinema Content: Audience Reception.” Jha explored how contemporary audiences engage with and interpret cinematic content. Drawing on recent examples, she explained the psychological and social reasons behind why certain films resonate deeply with viewers. Citing the recent success of Dhurandhar, she showed how compelling, well-crafted content can build a strong emotional connection with audiences while achieving commercial success. She discussed the psyche of Indian audience and emphacised the need of incorporating Indian art traditions in Hindi cinema.
Business & Future of Film: Insights from Utpal Acharya
The special online guest for the session was Utpal Acharya, a respected media entrepreneur and CEO of Content Engineers, whose career spans more than 20 years in leadership roles across major studios including Sony Pictures, Reliance Entertainment and UTV. In his address, Acharya drew on his extensive experience — having played a significant role in the distribution and production of over 800 films including Singham, Ghajini, 3 Idiots and Spider-Man — to offer an in-depth view of how the Indian film industry operates today. His company Content Engineers, is a modern film and digital studio focused on creating original stories that balance creative art with commercial success. Backed by a $50 million investment, the studio is dedicated to bringing authentic Indian stories from the grassroots to a global audience.
Acharya explained the changing dynamics of film distribution, investment and audience expectations in the OTT era. He elaborated on how the business side of cinema must work in harmony with creative impulses. According to him, the transition from single screen theatres to multiplexes, and now to smaller “miniplex” models, reflects larger shifts in audience behaviour — particularly with respect to pricing and accessibility.
During the interactive session, Acharya stressed that pricing has become a critical challenge for the sustainability of theatrical cinema. He highlighted the transition from single screens to multiplexes and predicted the rise of the “Miniplex Model.” He suggested that the future belongs to 100-200 seater theaters with affordable ticket pricing—ideally around ₹100 —to bring mass audiences back to the big screen. He said that smaller theatre formats with reduced ticket prices could play an important role in making cinema more democratic and accessible.
Addressing the challenges of modern filmmaking, Acharya noted that “often, it is the pricing rather than the content that hurts a film’s success.” He encouraged emerging filmmakers, stating that Content Engineers is eager to collaborate with those who possess powerful, rooted stories. Appreciating the New Delhi Film Foundation (NDFF) for its efforts, he assured his continued support in promoting meaningful cinema.
कार्यक्रम के अंत में NDFF के Branding & Marketing Executive Director वैभव मैत्रेय ने आगामी योजनाओं की जानकारी दी, जिसमें हर महीने दो पेशेवर मीट-अप, रेफरल नेटवर्क और थिएटर समुदाय के साथ प्रस्तावित सहयोग शामिल है। NDFF के संयोजक हरिंदर कुमार ने दर्शकों को धन्यवाद देते हुए आगामी कार्यक्रमों की जानकारी दी। इस पूरे कार्यक्रम का टेक और प्रोडक्शन कृष गुप्ता ने संभाला जबकि मीडिया और कोऑर्डिनेशन प्रासिक मेश्राम और कोऑर्डिनेशन शुभनव जैन ने संभाला। इसके बाद ‘चाय पर बातचीत’ का सेशन हुआ।
NDFF’s Future Plans and Closing with Netorking Tea
Following the guest talks, Vaibhav Maitreya, NDFF’s Executive Director of Branding & Marketing, shared updates on upcoming activities. He announced that NDFF would encourage regular professional referrals within the TCOTF community by introducing fortnightly meets. He also spoke about proposed collaborations with the theatre community and outlined plans for an upcoming theatre festival. NDFF Treasurer Harinder Kumar expressed gratitude to all the guests and participants, and shared information about future programmes.
The event ended with a networking tea session for the guests and attendees that fostered creative and professional exchanges. The February chapter of TCOTF marked another significant step in strengthening cinema as a space for artistic dialogue, business insight and cultural engagement.
Media Coverage
Click to read full report
