Film industry pins hope on 2021 as theatres resume 100 per cent occupancy

The bigticket movies were missing and houseful signs still a dream but with several states opening their doors to 100 per cent occupancy the coronabattered film industry hopes to put behind the dismal 2020 with a slate of new releasesOn Sunday Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar released a new set of SOPs to ensure smooth functioning of cinema halls and permitted 100 per cent occupancy from February 1 The decision has brought cheer with theatre chain owners distributors and producers calling it a muchneeded impetus for the recovery process of their industryWith cinema halls shut for much of 2020 producers had stalled the release of big film such as Akshay Kumar starrer Sooryanvanshi Ranveer Singhs 83 and Aamir Khans Laal Singh Chaddha But that could all change now and 2021 could well be the year of cinema entertainment with more than 50 films lined up for theatrical release said industry insiders looking to recover quickly from the losses of the year that wasIts a very positive move by the government and its a big shot in the arm It will give impetus to the recovery process of the film business Kamal Gianchandani CEO PVR Pictures told PTI A lot of producers especially of big films who were unsure about the capacities and when the government would restore capacity to 100 per cent would feel encouraged to go ahead and release their big films and midsize films Gianchandani addedDelhi Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are among the states that have permitted 100 per cent occupancy after the Centres decision Since the new protocol was released only a day earlier he said it will take another 1015 days before all states can issue the same model Rajender Singh Jyala chief programming officer INOX Leisure Ltd was also hopeful that this signals a return to normalcy The relaxation in seating capacity he said will help producers plan the release date of their moviesWe already had our eyes set on the marvellous content line up for the next 12 months and therefore we have been saying that year 2021 is the Year of Cinema Entertainmentiquest the industry is poised to see major blockbusters at regular intervals throughout the year Jyala saidBoth Gianchandani and Jyala representing among the biggest multiplex chains in the country said they have been in touch with producers through these difficult months Producer Monisha Advani cofounder of Emmay Entertainment said the governments decision to open up halls is a reflection of things getting back to normalcyWe look forward to welcoming back audiences and expect that a number of films that were held back and are made for this format will be back to entertain India Advani told PTI Emmay Entertainment has Akshay Kumars Bellbottom and John Abraham starrer Satyameva Jayate 2 among its releases Terming the opening up of theatres fully a muchneeded stimulus she said producers will now be encouraged to roll out their films The industry and its ancillaries are employers in large numbers Putting people back to work creating more content are all great signs of a resilient economy Reliance Entertainment Group CEO Shibasish Sarkar with the eagerly awaited Sooryavanshi and 83 said one of the two might release in the next two monthsNo release date is confirmed yet As we said earlier also we are contemplating the last week of March or first week of April for either Sooryavanshi or 83 Sarkar told PTI Bollywood needs to come together and chart a roadmap for releases if it wants audiences coming in said Biharbased exhibitor Vishek Chauhan The entire industry is waiting for that one spark a project which will set the ball rolling he told PTIOnly a handful of Hindi films have so far opened theatrically including Manoj Bajpayeefronted comedy Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari Kiara Advanistarrer Indoo Ki Jawani and Shakeela and Madam Chief Minister both headlined by Richa Chadha Madam Chief Minister in Hindi Master and Eeswaran in Tamil are among the many films in different languages that are playing at the box office in different parts of the countryThough the Centre granted permission to cinema halls it also issued guidelines to be followed such as adequate physical distancing mandatory face masks and sanitisation of the auditorium after every screening Gianchandani said people are getting comfortable with the new normal which is to return to the old preCOVID19 era normal It is validated by the success of Master which was released on January 13 and business has been at the preCOVID level This clearly shows that not just youngsters but even families have come out and supported the film in big numbers We cannot do such big numbers without the support of family so all in all customer sentiment has improved a lot he saidViewers seem to be only too ready Delhibased student Kritika Mehra said she is completely open to watching films on the big screen Ive started to feel OTT fatigue The small screen is convenient but I am craving to immerse myself in the big screen experience she said For Mumbaibased radio jockey Saif Ali Momin the dealbreaker is a big movie I wont be going to theatres unless theres a film like Sooryavanshi 83 or KGF 2 Momin told PTIThis 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