Union home secy to meet cine industry reps today

Kolkata: The Union home secretary will meet the representatives of cinemas/multiplex industries’ associations and hear their views on September 8. Two members of the cine-industry from Kolkata have been invited to join the meeting via video conference.
Firdausul Hasan, president of the Film Federation of India, who has been invited to join the meeting, said, “Cinema is one of largest revenue earners. If malls, Metro and bars can be opened, theatres should re-start too. In the era of loneliness and mental isolation, it is important to turn away from the virtual screens and return to the theatres. Of course, health protocols will have to be followed.”
Ratan Saha, chairman of the exhibitors’ section of EIMPA, who has been invited to the meeting, said the survival of many people associated with films has been at stake now. “Some 45 countries have allowed the cinemas to reopen. Till date, we haven’t heard of any cases of Covid-19 from cinema halls. We will request the ministry to allow us to reopen with 50% occupancy. If that’s not possible, we will even be fine if allowed to operate with 30%. Otherwise, the entire viewership and content will be transferred to OTT platforms. We can’t let that happen,” Saha added.
Meanwhile, SVF entertainment has made a video championing the cause of #SaveTheCinemas with the catch lines: “The wilds belong to the wild. Cinema, to cinema halls.” Mahendra Soni, co-founder and director, SVF Entertainment, said, “The whole idea of putting the video out is to make everyone feel that movie theatres have a big role to play in our daily lives. We all have grown up learning so much from the films we have seen on big screens. The experience of watching a favourite movie in a theatre is irreplaceable. We are confident that whenever theatres open, they will come back stronger and everyone will welcome it with open arms.”