Will Covid surge shut down movie theatres again?
March 24, 2021 18:12
Pic: Niharika Kulkarni/Reuters
Is the government considering closing down movie theatres once again?
According to reliable sources, closing down movie theatres again is a "proximate possibility' that is now being considered.
Sources further add that in states where the Covid numbers have gone up exponentially, theatres are "most likely' to be shut down.
So where does it leave all the lately-announced release dates for big films such as Rohit Shetty's Sooryavanshi, Kabir Khan's '83, Nikhil Advani's Bell Bottom and the Jayalalitha bio-pic Thalaivi?
All these big-budget, made-for-cinema projects have been scheduled for release during the next few months.
But with the growing pandemic, a pall of uncertainly hangs over their future.
This correspondent spoke to one of the big filmmakers whose film is slotted for a big movie theatre release. He said he can only hope for the best.
"If the current trend of growing numbers (of Covid cases) continues and as you say movie theatres are likely to close again, then what choice do we have? We will have to release digitally."
-- Subhash K Jha