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EXCLUSIVE: Shibasish Sarkar even more hopeful on Sooryavanshi & ‘83 release as MHA removes 50% occupancy cap
The producer says that allowing cinema halls to operate at a larger occupancy than 50 percent is extremely encouraging.
A lot of businesses suffered major losses in 2020 after a nationwide lockdown was announced in March last year following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. And one of the markets who suffered a major setback was the film industry. While all the shoots came to a halt, films too didn’t release in theatres as all the cinema halls were locked. Big movies like Sooryavanshi, ‘83, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Laal Singh Chaddha were all postponed indefinitely. However, the filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors got a slight respite in November when the government allowed the cinema halls to function at a 50 percent capacity.
Now, on Wednesday the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced some further relief for the film industry. In their revised guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution which are only applicable outside the containment zones, it mentions that the restriction of operating with 50 percent seating capacity in cinema halls is now removed. The order reads, “Cinema halls and theatres have already been permitted upto 50% of seating capacity. Now they will be permitted to operate at higher seating capacity, for which a revised SOP will be issued by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in consultation with MHA."
Group Chief Executive Officer of Reliance Entertainment Shibasish Sarkar who’s producing Sooryavanshi and ‘83 terms this as a positive news. “Society by and large has opened up. Whether restaurants, malls, markets, offices, all are working under normal situation. So allowing cinema halls to operate at a larger occupancy than 50% is due....at the same time extremely encouraging. We have stated earlier also that we have been planning to release any one of Sooryavanshi or ‘83 in the last week of March / 1st week of April. So this decision by the government will only help us to take a decision in that respect,” Sarkar told Pinkvilla.
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