Film Producers Welcome Government’s Move To Allow Cinema Halls To Operate With 50% Seating Capacity

Welcoming the news of reopening of cinema halls, Bollywood celebs also expressed their happiness. Read on.

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New Delhi: The Ministry Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines for re-opening cinemas, theatres, multiplexes with up to 50 per cent of their seating capacity. These guidelines are applicable to areas outside containment zones from October 15. The film industry has been facing multiple setbacks with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the news of the opening of cinema halls has been welcomed by the industry with a collective sigh of relief. Welcoming the news of movie theatres reopening, many Bollywood celebs expressed their happiness and relief. It is now the film producers who expressed their contentment on the government’s decision of re-opening cinema halls. Producer Anand Pandit whose latest film The Big Bull is almost complete, says, “I welcome the news of cinema halls opening to 50 per cent occupancy wholeheartedly. It is a strong step in the right direction. I have always maintained that there is no substitute for the theatrical experience. Together with similar steps, we can propel a strong recovery of the film industry. If there is one thing the film industry has, it is resilience and we will overcome the challenges with unity and looking out for each other.” He adds, “At the same time, it is very critical that we respect the safety protocols this pandemic has imposed upon us so that every person who steps in a theatre feels safe. Whether it is frequent sanitisation or the absolute necessity for masks, we must ensure as responsible stakeholders to not take any chances so that there is no need to go back to a complete lockdown again." Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President - Films & Events at Saregama India Ltd says,  “We welcome the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs to allow cinema halls to reopen across the country with a 50 per cent seating capacity from October 15th. The film industry has seen extremely challenging times as has every sector of the economy.  I am quite sure this would translate into a surge of optimism for the millions of people associated directly and indirectly with the industry. It is time to adapt and move forward and accept the new normal. Together we have to fight this.” Stay tuned for more updates! WATCH | Unlock 5.0: Open-air theaters to open from today