Chennai: With only a week left for Pongal festival, the cultural expression of the Tamils, the film industry was out to encash on it with the AIADMK government playing ball and allowing 100 per cent occupancy in cinemas.
This government's nod for theatres to have full capacity comes ahead of two big ticket releases, Vijay's 'Master' and Silambarasan's 'Easwaran'. But, belying the expectations of the producers of these two movies and that of the state government, the Centre had intervened in this issue following an outcry by experts that theatres could turn out to be covid clusters.
Multiplexes and theatres across the state have prepared themselves for full capacity shows. They were hoping that the festival season would bring a turnaround in their fortunes. Since November 14, the government had permitted screening of movies in theatres with 50 per cent occupancy. However, patronage from filmgoers was so negligible that there were even advertisements for the successful second and third day in dailies.
After the Corona outbreak in March 2019, the government had clamped down the lockdown but gradually relaxed the restrictions. The theatre owners were persisting with the government to open theatres and multiplexes, following which the government in November 2019 allowed theatre owners to open the shutter with 50 percent seating capacity.
In between, a bunch of movies including Suriya-starrer Soorarai Potru and Mookuthi Amman, were released during Deepavali on OTT platform.
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Given this reality, the producers of Master waited for releasing the movie only when 100 per cent seating in theatres was allowed and to secure the government nod Vijay even called on the Chief Minister in the last week of December. Soon after the government issued the GO for full capacity shows, both Vijay and Simbu lost no time to thank the Chief Minister.
Though 'Master' had been sold to Netflix, the producers' intent was to rake in the moolah through the box office. With the Centre putting its foot down, this plan has come to a nought.
Soon after the TN Government's GO was issued on Monday, Prabhdeep Kaur of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), had registered her protest. "Since movie watchers will be sitting in enclosed places with poor ventilation and increased cooling environment, it will pave the way for audiences to get infected from dreadful viruses easily," she tweeted, advising the moviegoers to avoid such situations.
Several actors including Aravind Swamy have criticised the government's move as an ill-advised and one that is detrimental to public health.
However, state health officials refused to comment on the development saying that the GO was issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
Countering criticism, State Fisheries minister, D. Jayakumar had earlier asserted that theatres, which fail to comply with norms, would be closed. "The decision has been taken based on consultations with the ICMR," he had maintained.
For the full capacity go ahead, the GO itself cited the sharp decline in the rate of Covid infection as a justification. Will Master be released for Pongal in theatres or on OTT? Wait for another week.
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