While the I&B Ministry has issued revised SOPs for cinemas, allowing them to operate at full capacity, the state government, till the time of going to press, was yet to give a goahead to multiplexes and single screens with regards to the 100% seating capacity. However, the centre’s decision has made Marathi filmmakers hopeful of bringing the audience back to theatres as they gear up for long-pending theatrical releases and new projects.

Digpal Lanjekar, whose period drama Jungjauhar (above) wrapped up shooting just before the Coronavirus lockdown in March last year, says he wanted to release the film in 2020, but couldn’t. He says, “We were waiting for the government’s nod to 100 percent occupancy. Jungjauhar is a film that needs to be watched with friends and family. With the new development, our team is now finalising a release date, and the film will hit the big screens soon.”

Another period film, the Pravin Tarde directorial Sarsenapati Hambirrao, is also ready for release and the makers have breathed a sigh of relief with the new directive. Tarde says, “Ours is a big budget and big screen film. So, it was obvious that we’d release it in theatre. The 100 per cent occupancy will allow viewers to enjoy the historical saga as it should be. At the same time, it will also help makers in making fair returns at the Box Office.” The team is planning to release the teaser on February 19 and eyeing a June release, as of now.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many films that were supposed to release around the summer vacation time last year were postponed. Among them, prominently, were the Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif starrer Sooryavanshi, directed by Rohit Shetty, and Kabir Khan’s '83, with an ensemble cast headlined by Ranveer Singh. With the new directive, it’s obvious that these films will be eyeing release dates soon. So, will that result in regional films being pushed further?

Aditya Sarpotdar, who has three films, Zombivli, Maheshcha Badla and Unaad, ready for release, feels that though releasing a film to full occupancy immediately is tempting, he is not willing to pit his films against the big Bollywood outings. “We will wait for movies like Sooryavanshi, Satyameva Jayate 2 and Radhe to release, and then present ours. These movies will reinstate movie goers’ faith in cinema halls, and sort of normalise the process of watching movies on a big screen again. Subsequently, it will benefit regional cinemas. All my films will be spaced out between June and November,” he says.