“Almost everything has opened up and people are doing everything now. They are eating in restaurants, even street food, going to parks, jogging, gyming, visiting markets, toh theatres ne kya kiya hai?” questions Iqbal Khan, who went to see a film in a theatre recently.

The actor shares that he had a great experience as the theatre owners had taken good care of santisation and social distancing protocols. “Theatre has 50% occupancy and one can have a safest and enjoyable experience. They sanitise after every show and don’t allow food in the theatre but one can eat in the food court. Interval is extended, so one has enough time. I heard the Hollywood film Tenet’s tickets were sold out for many shows,” says the actor, whose web show, Crackdown, this year, was well-received and he recently shot for another show in Mussoorie.

Ask him if big-budget and star-driven films will bring more people to theatres and he says, “I am a supporter of good films. They will get people in. The joy of watching a film on the big screen in theatres is unparalleled. I saw the trailer of Sooryavanshi and I felt that this is a film I would want to watch in the theatres. We have seen a number of films release on OTT this year, and that is great, but nothing beats the magic of theatre. You see, while the creative freedom makers get on OTT and the content-driven stuff created for the platform is awesome, cinema is a visual medium and one can only experience that in theatres. Yes, OTT is huge but that won’t diminish the appeal of theatres,” he says.