Movie trade will be hit by Covid negative certificate rule

March 24, 2021 11:43

How will the Mumbai rule to secure a Covid negative certificate before entering malls impact the already-floundering movie trade?

Trade experts weigh in:

Amod Mehra (trade analyst): "The guidelines are for the safety of all the patrons. But then it is not specified the number of days the negative certificate is valid for. Suppose one gets certified 10 days back, so can he enter the mall? And what about families coming together? The dates can vary. This will lead to a lot of confusion and end up with a huge decline in the films collections."

Rahul Mittra (producer): "Well, the move comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra and I am sure it is to avoid a complete lockdown. But these measures will surely lead to stringent curbs on the movement of movie-goers and will unfortunately gravely affect box-office collections."

Kishan Damani (distributor): "This will have a negative effect definitely as no healthy person will opt for this test just to enter a mall or theatre."

Atul Mohan (trade analyst): "Business will get affected wherever this rule is applied. For watching a movie you will be inviting an additional expense of 200 to 300 rupees for rapid test in malls. And who would be interested in getting a Covid-negative certificate to watch a movie? The overall scenario is scary and then a rule like this is the last straw. People would prefer consuming entertainment in the convenience of their homes. Looking at the rising cases, I think it would be better for everybody to stay away from crowded places for some days."

Suneel Darshan (producer): "The theatrical business for Hindi movies will take some more time to recover, seeing the critical uptrend in the Covid curve. Both precaution and cautious monitoring are essential to curb the spread. Therefore the current trend of business slump in theatres is inevitable. However, what totally baffles me is the overwhelming response to some Telugu and Tamil releases recently in theatres in Telangana, Andhra and Tamil Nadu."

-- Subhash K Jha

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