'Cinemas should be allowed to reopen in August'

[Anta Assamey]

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has recommended to the Union Home Ministry that cinema halls all over the country be allowed to reopen in August.

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said his opposite number in the Home Ministry, Ajay Bhalla, will take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1 - or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry's recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25 per cent auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K. Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan's "Gulabo Sitabo", have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.

[karthik25]

sanka naakipotaru ra rei theaters open cheste... 

[BeautyQueen]

Eppudu theaters lo movies chudakapothe chachipothama????

[tom bhayya]

9 minutes ago, BeautyQueen said:

Eppudu theaters lo movies chudakapothe chachipothama????

Janam adagadam ledhu cheyamani, industry people asking

[Vaampire]

Just now, tom bhayya said:

Janam adagadam ledhu cheyamani, industry people asking

Yaaaa. Janam lite thisukovali..

[BeautyQueen]

2 minutes ago, tom bhayya said:

Janam adagadam ledhu cheyamani, industry people asking

Aithey corona ki inka pandageee 

[tom bhayya]

12 minutes ago, Vaampire said:

Yaaaa. Janam lite thisukovali..

Ya they won’t open valley antunnaru ga 25% seats ey ammi open chesey kanna shut chesi unchadam ey better ani

[karthik25]

Theater industry is done and dusted. 

Prime, netflix is accessible to almost everyone who can afford to go to a movie. Above that RGVworldtheatre lanti chala platforms vastayi. They will be cheaper, plus no transport cost, no sky-high popcorn costs etc. So, overall cost-effective.

 

[johnydanylee]

Malli Rs50/ticket rojulu raavali...lekapothe poomphuare

No outside food allowed anedi teesidobbali ... temples lo ne evadi water bottles ni vallu techukovali ani rule undi

 

 

[Ryzen_renoir]

Most of the old theatres will probably be closed , only multiplexes will be operate . 

Covid is going to change the film industry a lot