Pune sells porn worth Rs 30 lakh a year

City accounts for 50 per cent of revenue generated in Maharashtra porn market

Soft porn continues to find viewers in Pune despite the economic slowdown with the city generating 50 per cent of the Rs 60-lakh-a-year soft porn film market in Maharashtra. Distributors of soft porn say Pune made Rs 30 lakh from soft porn in 2009. While there were eight theatres that screened soft porn in the 1980s, there are only two that showcase the fare today Shrikrishna and Alpana. The two nevertheless attract enough business to make Pune the capital of soft porn in the state.

In Pune, about 100 such films release every year. Each film runs for a week. Both Shrikrishna and Alpana run six to seven shows a day. Tickets are priced at Rs 30 and Rs 35.

"Most members of our audience are 35 to 40 years of age. They drive cars and are from respectable backgrounds. Surprisingly, we have very few young viewers. The young seek their thrills online," said Shantaram Thorat, manager, Alpana theatre.

Ulhas Manne, manager Shrikrishna, said, "Most porn films are from the South in Telugu and Malayalam. "The films are dubbed in Hindi. This is a legal business as all these films are censored."