COVID-19: No long term planning but Bollywood cautiously optimistic as theatres reopen

By PTI

MUMBAI: Cinema turnstiles are beginning to turn again with biggies such as Akshay Kumar’s “Bell Bottom” lined up for release, and industry insiders, hopeful but wary, say they are only too conscious that the road to economic recovery is riddled with uncertainties in COVID times.

As COVID numbers dip in parts of the country, Delhi and Mumbai have allowed theatres to open at 50 per cent capacity. Several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, have also permitted cinemas to resume operations.

“We are eagerly waiting to see theatres reopen with full capacity. That said, we also acknowledge the uncertainty of the current situation. As the adage goes, health is wealth — and it is all the more important now,” said Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta.

“The extensive vaccination drive being carried out across the world is a ray of hope and optimism. As and when the majority of the population are fully vaccinated, the sense of safety and assurance of stepping out will return,” an optimistic but cautious Mehta told PTI.

Distributors and producers have announced the release of a slate of films this month. Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Monday said his film “Bell Bottom” will release in theatres on August 19 in 3D and 2D, the first major film to have a theatre release.

The Ranjit M Tewari-directed thriller, also starring Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Huma Qureshi, was originally scheduled to release in April this year but was postponed to July 27 due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The lineup lists a host of Hollywood movies, including the latest “Fast & Furious” installment, director M Night Shyamalan’s “Old”, Oscar-nominated “Promising Young Woman”, animated feature “The Croods: A New Age” and Bob Odenkirk-starrer “Nobody”.

Reliance Entertainment Group CEO Shibasish Sarkar, who is awaiting the release of two big films from his stable, “Sooryavanshi” and “83”, said long-term planning may not work. “Given the unpredictable nature of the pandemic — a second COVID wave hit India hard in April-May — it is futile to worry about the release of his two big films,” Sarkar said.

“You can worry about something only if things are in your control. No one has clarity and let’s start accepting that for a situation that is much larger, people have to be flexible and agile and if there is a situation then we have to make quick calls and there has to be backup calls,” he said.

Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios, which is distributing “Bell Bottom” as well as Alia Bhatt-starrer “Gangubai Kathiawadi”, “RRR” and “Attack”, said all of these films will release theatrically. “We are hopeful about the future. Both the central and state government are doing their bit to contain the spread of the virus. They will give permission to reopen when they feel the situation is normal and safe,” Gada told PTI.

“We are also trying to understand what is happening in which state and then accordingly we will make announcements. I am hopeful business will be more once we return to normalcy, mainly because people have been devoid of family outings during the pandemic,” he said.

It has been more than a year that the theatrical business came to a standstill with the pandemic forcing cinema halls and other crowded places to down their shutters in March last year. Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, INOX Leisure Ltd, opened theatres in select cities on July 30.

“With some Hollywood movies, the industry would get a perfect launching pad, which would prove decisive for making a remarkable comeback. At the same time, we are absolutely sure that we are one blockbuster away from witnessing the pre-COVID cinema enthusiasm. Movies, which were released after the first wave, like Tamil hit ‘Master’ and Telugu movies ‘Krack’ and ‘Jathi Ratnalu’, proved that great content would do phenomenally well, even in restricted seating scenarios,” Jyala told PTI.