BOMBAY TIMES (July 28, 2020)

The guidelines for Unlock 3.0 are expected to be announced shortly, and there is buzz that cinemas across the country, which have been shut since March 15, could possibly open their doors for patrons on August 1.

In a recent panel discussion on the Bombay Times Talk Show, when studio heads/producers and theatre owners came together, they spoke about how theatres could reboot in the unlock phase and how producers and theatre owners need to work closely to enable films to make their way back to the big screen and also get a wider release.

The panelists comprised Ajit Andhare (COO, Viacom18 Studios), Shibasish Sarkar (CEO, Reliance Entertainment), Shariq Patel (CEO, Zee Studios), Jackky Bhagnani (Managing Director, Pooja Entertainment), Ronnie Lahiri (Producer of films like Gulabo Sitabo and Pink), Kapil Agarwal (Joint MD, UFO Moviez), Kamal Gianchandani (CEO, PVR Pictures) and Akshaye Rathi (Director, Saroj Screens).

The in-depth conversation covered an array of subjects that the industry is currently dealing with, and the one thing that they unanimously agreed upon was that now, more than ever before, the industry has to come together and find solutions and a way ahead for survival.