Bollywood marches onward and upward

With Bell Bottom taking the first step towards reviving cinemas, trade says reopening of Maharashtra theatres crucial to industry bouncing back

Akshay Kumar did the heavy-lifting by releasing Bell Bottom in theatres, thus taking the lead in reviving the exhibition sector. Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says that the thriller had all the makings of a blockbuster had it not been for the theatre shutdown in Maharashtra. “As a market, Maharashtra contributes significantly to the collections. Bell Bottom’s motive was to give movie halls [a boost], and it has delivered successfully on that count,” he says.

However, Rathi notes that the jumpstart provided by a single release is not enough to salvage the exhibition sector’s losses that have been mounting since the second lockdown in April. Especially when the state government continues to play the waiting game as far as the reopening of cinemas is concerned. “Two [big] markets are shut — Kerala and Maharashtra. The first [is reasonable] given the high cases in the state. But in Maharashtra, restaurants, schools, and local trains have reopened. Cinema owners are feeling singled out. One can’t dismiss the feeling that the state government has no interest in the entertainment sector,” he emphasises. 

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Thalaivii is eyeing a Sept 10 release

Manoj Desai, executive director, G7 Cinemas, rues that the community is reeling under the pressure of property taxes and lack of rebates. “It has been so long that our shutters have been downed. We are facing huge losses.”

Encouraged by the brave step taken by the Bell Bottom team, Amitabh Bachchan’s Chehre and Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivii have queued up for a big-screen release. Kunal Sawhney, senior vice president, operations, Carnival Cinemas, is hopeful that movie halls in the state will be up and running next week. “Many movies are lined up, but the makers have not confirmed because theatre occupancy pan-India is restricted to 50 per cent, and Maharashtra theatres are not [operational]. If the state government gives a green signal, the official announcements will follow.”

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