Where was Maddy? That was the question buzzing on social media when Rang De Basanti marked 20 years with a special screening on February 6. As director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra reunited with cast members Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi and Kunal Kapoor, among others, fans quickly noticed one familiar face missing from the frame.

Actor R Madhavan, who played the Air Force pilot in the film, cleared the air soon after, explaining that work commitments kept him away. He shares, “I was at a shoot abroad when the event took place, and couldn’t fly back in time. I really missed it and I wish I could have been there with all of them to celebrate this iconic film.”

The 55-year-old also reveals that the reunion was originally planned for January but had to be postponed following a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra on Jan 28, which killed all aboard, including then Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. “We didn’t want to celebrate at that time, naturally. It was a very very tragic, heartbreaking event,” he says.

Meanwhile, the film’s team arrived wearing hoodies featuring the film’s title, posing outside the theatre before heading in for the screening.

Nagpur: The state on Thursday announced that it would form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of Disha Salian, manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, reports Chittaranjan Tembhekar.

Salian died on June 8, 2020 after a fall from the 14th floor of a Malad building, a week before Rajput was also found dead at his home.

Replying to a demand from MLAs of the ruling BJP Shinde Sena combine that Salian’s death be probed, deputy CM Fadnavis called upon those with clinching evidence to hand it over to police.

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Mumbai: The high-profile Disha Salian case was first raised in the House on Thursday by Bharat Gogavale, MLA of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, the Sena faction led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. He was joined by BJP legislator Nitesh Rane, Ameet Satam, Madhuri Misal and Devyani Farande.

In November this year, the Shiv Sena (UBT) had hit out at the BJP after the CBI reportedly concluded that Salian’s death was an accident. CBI sources had however then said that they had not registered any case or conducted any specific probe into her death. As part of their probe into Rajput’s death, they had said, they had conducted some inquiry as she was his talent manager, but they had not arrived at any conclusion.

Nitesh Rane sought a “narco test” on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in connection with the deaths of Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Salian based on allegations levelled by Lok Sabha MP Rahul Shewale of the Shinde faction.

Shewale had asked on Wednesday about the status of the CBI probe into Rajput’s death and the possible involvement of influential people, including a senior figure in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. He said there were “44 calls from AU to (actress) Rhea Chakraborty” and alleged the Bihar police had concluded that “AU” was “Aaditya Uddhav.”

Questioning why Thackeray's name cropped up every time the deaths of Rajput and Disha Salian were discussed, Rane said the allegations made by Shewale must be taken seriously as he was close to the Thackeray family for a long time.

A “narco test” (narcoanalysis test) must be carried out on Aaditya Thackeray so that the truth about their deaths comes out, Rane told the media outside the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

The demand to probe the Salian case came in the wake of the opposition raising the phone tapping case in the House and also the alleged use of toilets in the Nagpur MLAs’ hostel to wash utensils used to serve breakfast to legislators.

Leader of opposition Ajit Pawar objected to the decision to form an SIT in the matter, pointing out that the CBI had already concluded the case and Salian’s parents too had requested that her image should not be maligned by repeatedly raising the issue of her death in public. Hence, Pawar said, the case should not be viewed from a political angle and should not be given a political twist.

Fadnavis clarified that the Salian case had never gone to the CBI, so there was no closure report and hence an SIT can be set up.

“Mumbai police are already investigating the case. Those who have proofs can hand them over for further probe through SIT,” Fadnavis announced amid sloganeering from the opposition as well as the ruling benches.

Fadnavis also pointed out in the House that the CBI had made it clear before the court in the Rajput case that they had not investigated the Salian case.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) and some NCP leaders had earlier alleged that the BJP had targeted the Thackeray family and tried to sully their reputation, Nitesh Rane had claimed that all evidence in the case had been destroyed by the police when the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in office.

In March, Nitesh had told the state assembly that he had a pen drive containing statements of an eyewitness to what he called Disha Salian’s “murder. ” He had said in the assembly, “The pen drive has an eyewitness who tells us that a state minister was involved...Salian was raped and killed.”

Mumbai: Rejecting demands for tax relief to the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ which deals with the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, ruling party members in Maharashtra questioned the “political agenda” of the BJP in promoting the new release. The Shiv Sena said the ordeal that the community from Kashmir went through three decades back was now merely being exploited as a political issue whereas it was leaders like Bal Thackeray who had reached out to alleviate conditions for Kashmiri students back then.

The Sena on Wednesday questioned why “Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is the pracharak” of The Kashmir Files. MP Sanjay Raut said just like the blame for former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death was pinned on one family through the film The Tashkent Files — made by the same director Vivek Agnihotri — a similar agenda is being implemented through this work.

“This is an attempt to show the outcry and pain of 32 years ago and it should be appreciated. But there are many truths hidden in it,” he said.

“I don't think anyone else knows the pain of Kashmir as much as Shiv Sena. Balasaheb Thackeray raised his voice in the country about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits and everyone else was silent due to the fear of extremists…a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits had come to meet Balasaheb. At that time, it was he who said give AK-47s in the hands of the Kashmiri Pandits…the delegation had asked for reservation in seats for education. Balasaheb had at that time ordered 5% seats to be reserved for medical and engineering education in Maharashtra for the children of Kashmiri Pandits. So we know what the real files of Kashmir are,” Raut said.

Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, who also spoke on the issue, rejected the demand made by the BJP to exempt the film from tax in the state. Pawar said entertainment tax is covered under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax in which state and Centre share equal components, and so if the Centre gives relief from its 50% share of the tax, the movie would become tax-free in the entire country. Six BJP-ruled states have already given the film a tax waiver.

“For the Shiv Sena this is not a political agenda. We have done it for Kashmiri Pandits. Which BJP-ruled state has done it? Just by making the film tax free the pain will not be erased. You remember this after 32 years because the next four states now have elections,” added Raut.

Mumbai: Multiplexes and theatres reopened on Friday after nearly a year to relatively sparse crowds, except for those movie halls that had offers and freebies for audiences.

One of the reasons was Covid guidelines issued by the government. Besides temperature checks and green ticks on the Aarogya Setu app, some patrons had to furnish vaccine certificates and adapt to the new normal, given that theatres were allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

At a Borivali multiplex, a very disappointed teenager walked away from the box office with his mother on being denied entry as he was underage, despite the government not mandating any such requirement.

To draw in audiences, some multiplexes had free morning shows, a few threw in a free tub of popcorn per ticket purchased and others had heavily discounted ticket prices. “We were almost sold out for morning shows across all our multiplexes in Maharashtra. The overall turnout during the day has been reminiscent to the pre-Covid days and we are certain that the sentiment would remain like this,” said Rajeev Patni, COO, Inox Leisure.

Siddhesh, a Thane-based engineering graduate, turned up at least 15 minutes early to catch the 9.55 am show of the latest James Bond movie. “I’m here for the experience,” said Siddhesh while waiting for three of his friends.

While Pooja Parikh, who caught a morning show of the new Marvel movie at Nariman Point, said it’s important to follow safety protocols, she accepted the inability to ask friends in the adjacent seat about complex movie scenes and the prospect of eating her movie staple — cheese popcornin the foyer as minor tradeoffs for the communal viewing experience. Four 20-something students converged at a Borivali movie hall after “much research” as only selected movie halls were screening the Marvel movie and the group “had not missed a single one till date”.

These two movies are the only releases that are drawing audiences for now, according to box office staff. Some multiplexes like Carnival Cinemas have opened fewer properties at present because of limited content available. “We are confident that footfall will increase on November 5 when we have two big-ticket releases. We plan to throw open all our properties then,” said Prashant Kulkarni, senior vice-president, sales marketing, Carnival Cinemas.

Multiplex managements said that audiences appeared more comfortable with stepping out now as compared to last year.

“When we had reopened cinemas for a short spell in October-November 2020, some guests were apprehensive about using washrooms. Now, masking up and sanitizing have become a way of life. Besides, our staff are 100% vaccinated and that inspires confidence," said a multiplex owner.

Single screens did not share the same experience as multiplexes. At Thane’s Vandana talkies, the larger-than-life crow sculpture that welcomes visitors, seemed desolate. The theatre was among the single screens in the city that remained shut.

Nitin Datar of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India stated that some single-screens are waiting for the big releases to reopen their gates and fortunes. Among those that reopened were Maratha Mandir, whose manager noted a drop in footfalls for their longest-running 11:30 am show. “Vaccine,” answered the monosyllabic manager when asked for the reason for this dip.

Despite the lukewarm first-day-first-show turnout and the dwindling single-screens though, film critic Dilip Thakur remained optimistic. “The craze for films and cricket will never die.”

The significant spike in Coronavirus cases in many parts of the country — combined with fears of a second round of lockdown in major cities — has come as a severe blow to exhibitors, who are already reeling from months of lockdown.

Gurmeet Singh Seble, member of Delhi Single Screens Association, predicts that a second cinema shutdown may well be on the cards. Noting that most single screens across the capital have not reopened, he says, "Single screens will remain shut unless a big money-spinner is lined up for release. Producers have yet to announce big-ticket movies. We don't wish to keep theatres running when people are not showing up."

Closer home in Mumbai, the scene is not starkly different. Manoj Desai, executive director, G7 multiplex, rues that the business has been abysmal since they lifted the curtain on November 15. "The public is afraid to step out. Since we have reopened the theatres, we have to pay for the electricity and the maintenance. In such a situation, when patrons don't turn up, the losses keep mounting. We have only 10 to 15 people per show. There are strong chances of a second shutdown. Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, has stated that he will arrive at a decision in a few days. So, we have to wait and watch till then." Desai has lined up a meeting with his business partners today to chart the way forward.

The lack of new releases has added to the exhibitors' misery. After the Diwali offering Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Christopher Nolan's Tenet is slated to hit screens on December 4 and Kiara Advani's Indoo Ki Jawani, on December 11. However, Bollywood biggies have shied away from the marquee, resulting in a dry spell at the ticket counters. "We don't play Hollywood movies at Gaiety. However, given the current situation, we'll have no option but to run Tenet," says Desai.

Trade analyst Atul Mohan weighs in, saying, "Regardless of whether a lockdown is imposed or not, cinemas have started shutting down. Most multiplexes have closed down two to three screens, keeping only one or two of them operational." Mohan adds that a second round of shutdown will be catastrophic for the exhibition and distribution sector.

Mumbai: Theatre owners met state cultural minister Amit Deshmukh on Thursday to lobby for reopening cinema halls soon in line with the Centre’s Unlock 5.0 plan to allow operations at 50% capacity by mid-October.

Deshmukh said he was positive about prospects for reopening theatres by adhering to safety protocols. The minister told the theatre owners he would take up the issue with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray during a cabinet meeting scheduled next week.

“If states like Gujarat, Bengal, Orissa, Punjab are ready to grant permissions, Maharashtra, which is the birthplace of movies, must take the lead,” said Nitin Datar, president of Cinema Owners & Exhibitors Association of India. The state is also among those with the largest number of theatres, which makes entertainment tax a big revenue-earner.

A standard operating procedure drafted by the Multiplex Association of India and submitted to the Centre last month has highlighted how cinemas could optimize show timings and regulate entry and exits to minimize crowding.

Proposals include staggered show slots so that not more than one screen starts a film at a time and only one has an interval at any point. A minimum gap of 15 minutes is also proposed between shows for cleaning and disinfecting while hand sanitizers are to be made available close to the entry of each theatre, apart from putting up small packs for sale.

Paper tickets may also be done away with and bookings restricted to digital platforms. Given risks associated with air conditioning, theatres say they will ensure fresh air intake in ventilation and continuously run exhausts in washrooms and common areas.

The delegation of multiplex and single screen owners and film studio owners met Deshmukh at Sahyadri, the government guest house. Issues related to licenses, power bills and property tax were discussed as the delegation pointed out that the Coronavirus lockdown had resulted in huge losses in the last six months. Deshmukh assured them that the state would try to resolve issues related to licenses and permits on priority.

“The minister has promised to look into our problems and discuss the matter with the CM. Although the government of Maharashtra has said theatres can reopen after October 31, he was keen to see that halls open sooner. We don’t want to miss out on October which is the best season for film releases and a delay will make it harder for cinemas to re-establish. The state has enough regional films to begin with and once it gets rolling, bigger producers will be willing to take a chance,” said Nitin Datar, president of Cinema Owners & Exhibitors Association of India.

The minister agreed that movies are normally slated for Dussehra, Diwali or a Christmas release as these occasions bring in crowds. "So I will discuss the issue with CM Thackeray, deputy CM Ajit Pawar and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat on how to reopen keeping safety as a priority," said the minister.

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