Theatres in Mumbai pulled their curtains down even before Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray imposed Section 144 in the state. The lockdown in 2020 badly hit the film exhibition sector. With the rise in Coronavirus numbers again triggering severe restrictions, the question before exhibitors is, ‘Will theatres be able to survive another lockdown?’

Akshaye Rathi, director, Aashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, says, “I’m pretty sure the exhibition sector, in general, will survive this crisis. But there will be a lot of collateral damage.” He emphasises the importance of measures such as waiving off of property tax during the period of the closure and deduction of electricity cost. Even with night curfews and weekend lockdowns in Delhi, Kunal Sawhney, senior VP, Carnival Cinemas, says, “It won’t be as tough as last year where we weren’t prepared. Now, we know how to cut expenses.”

But restrictions in Maharashtra are affecting the pan-India theatre business. “Maharashtra is the biggest territory for Hindi films. Now that theatres across the state are shut, 30% of the revenue will be chopped off. For a film to perform well, it’s necessary for theatres in Maharashtra to function properly,” says Rajkumar Mehrotra, GM, Delite Cinema (Delhi). Echoing the sentiment, Satadeep Saha, director, SSR Cinemas Pvt Ltd (West Bengal) says, “Bollywood films aren’t releasing now. It’s important for the entire country that Maharashtra gets a clean chit and the market reopens.”

“With theatres in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh closed, which is approx 40% revenues generated by Bollywood movies, producers began postponing films starting from Chehre to Thalaivi and Sooryavanshi,” Sawhney says.

However, all is not lost. The success of South films like Master (2021), Vakeel Saab (2021), Krack (2021) among others have given hope. “The South market is open and that’s helping us in a way,” says Rajender Jyala, CPO, INOX Movies.

B H Basha, a distributor from Karnataka, believes that ‘rational steps and advertisements by government about a safe ecosystem inside the cinema halls’ is a fruitful measure to keep the audiences coming.