Watching a film at Gaiety has been my weekly ritual since 1972 when I was a school boy. So, one can imagine how hard the theatre shutdown was on a cinephile like me. As the Bandra theatre opened its doors on Sunday, I went to catch the first day, first show of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. Before the pandemic, if you headed to Gaiety on a Sunday, you were bound to see the 'Housefull' signboard hanging well before a show would commence. Yet, today, there were around 25 to 30 people in the first show.

The theatre sees low footfall on the first day;