Maharashtra: Producers, distributors, exhibitors hail govt's decision for reopening of theatres

Film producers distributors and cinema hall owners on Saturday welcomed the Maharashtra governments announcement that cinema halls and multiplexes in the state will open from October 22Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said cinema halls and drama theatres in the state will be permitted to operate from October 22 on the condition that they follow all the protocols required to prevent the spread of coronavirusThe state government will soon issue the standard operating procedure SOPsSoon after the announcement was made filmmaker Rohit Shetty said that his muchawaited movie Sooryavanshi starring Akshay Kumar will finally make its debut in theatres on DiwaliThanks to our Honourable Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Thackeray theatres in Maharashtra to reopen from 22nd October And FINALLY we can say This DIWALI AA RAHI HAI POLICE Shetty wrote on social mediaAlso read Maharashtra Cinemas theatres to reopen from October 22Actors Varun Dhawan Arjun Kapoor Bhumi Pednekar and Ranvir Shorey were among the actors who expressed their excitement about reopening of theatres in MaharashtraThe exhibition industry has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as it affected the film shoots and releases across IndiaIn 2020 the cinema operations came to a halt from midMarch due to the pandemic only to be restarted for a few months starting from October and November last year in various parts of the countryBut in the wake of the second wave of Covid19 which hit India in April this year theatres across India again remained closed from the same monthAs the country witnessed a decline in Covid19 cases several states including Delhi Gujarat Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan Punjab Haryana Andhra Pradesh received a goahead to resume movie business in cinema hallsBut the government of Maharashtra a key centre for Hindi films hadnt yet allowed the reopening of theatresIn the past several months many backdoor meetings were held with filmmakers and cinema owners urging the Maharashtra government to consider reopening of theatresSome of the other major Hindi films that are awaiting release include Ranveer Singhs 83 Yash Raj Films slate of movies like Jayeshbhai Jordaar Shamshera and PrithivirajAlso in pipeline are movies such as Salman Khans Antim Aamir Khans Laal Singh Chaddha John Abrahams Satyameva Jayate 2 and Akshay Kumars Atrangi ReLeading film producer Bhushan Kumar of TSeries banner who has over a dozen movies awaiting for release said he is overwhelmed and has begun chalking out plans for theatrical releasesWe all are very excited about this news Many producers like us Yash Raj Films are waiting for theatres to reopen as we did hold on to our big movies We are also chalking out plans for our films and will make announcements soonWe are thrilled about the release of Sooryavanshi during Diwali Now there will be films releasing and it will be a good boost for the industry Kumar told PTIProducer Anand Pandit who latest production Chehre released in theatres in August said it was important that theatres reopen in Maharashtra for the revival of cinemaThe industry needs this revival and given that Maharashtra is one of the biggest markets we hope to see the return of audiences to the theatres What better time to start than DiwaliI honestly dont see too many clashes given that the industry understands that the return of audiences might be slow and it would be best to avoid a situation where the audiences worth get divided Pandit saidAlok Tandon CEO of multiplex chain INOX said they are all geared up and prepared to welcome people to their theatresWe are completely geared up and prepared to ensure the safety of our guests and employees This decision has resulted in a lot of cheer not just for the entire film industry and its audiences but also for the employees of the cinema exhibition sector and their families who have been waiting for this to happeniquest Tandon said in a statementWith the hugely successful vaccination program and significantly low Covid19 cases we are optimistic that people will return to cinemas as before and we will witness the same happy emotions in our lobbies he addedLeading distributor Akshaye Rathi who owns eight theatres in Maharashtra said the decision to reopen theatres days before Diwali is a big piece of good newsIt is a very happy moment and we hope SOPs are reasonable and make movies accessible to the widest possible audience Diwali is just two weeks away from it October 22 Its going to be a happy oneThe big ticket movie release will make a happy Diwali for all of us in the movie business and audience who are deprived of entertainment for a very long timeiquest Rathi told PTITrade analyst Amul Mohan said the Maharashtra governments decision will boost the confidence of producers and exhibitorsIt is limited right now in terms of occupancy but its a great start It is better to be cautious as Covid19 is still aroundHowever it is a good time to begin and plan releases for Diwali This must give confidence to producers who are sitting on their films for two years Also the idea should be to get audiences to theatres as fear psychosis is still playing in peoples mind Mohan toldThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever