Movie industry to face a major loss again due to new lockdown guidelines in Maharashtra

The cinema exhibition sector, which had just started limping back to normalcy after remaining close for almost nine-months last year, is once again staring at major losses after the Maharashtra government on Sunday issued new guidelines, asking cinema halls and other entertainment venues to shut operations till April 30th.
The movie, experts say, will result in filmmakers postponing the release dates of their films again as Maharashtra is one of the biggest markets.
“While Covid-19 remains a big concern, it is now a question of lives versus livelihood. The timing of this decision couldn’t have been more unfortunate. It was only after five months of operations despite availability of big movies when big filmmakers had started announcing releases of their movies. Footfalls had increased in the theatres and there was a glimmer of hope, but now such stringent measures will derail the whole recovery of the sector,” said trade analyst Shaaminder Malik.
He added that some of the most awaited films like ‘Sooryavanshi’, ‘83’, ‘Radhe’ and ‘Thalaivi’ might get postponed again.
Last week, anticipating a lockdown or strict measures against the cinema halls, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) had written a letter to state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, pointing out that the lockdowns (if implemented) are going to negatively impact the cinema, retail and shopping industry.
Report by Chetali S M
Reported on – 05/04/2021