Cinema
turnstiles
are
beginning
to
turn
again
with
biggies
such
as
Akshay
Kumar’s
Bell
Bottom
lined
up
for
release,
and
industry
insiders,
hopeful
but
wary,
say
they
are
only
too
conscious
that
the
road
to
economic
recovery
is
riddled
with
uncertainties
in
Covid
times.
As
Covid
numbers
dip
in
parts
of
the
country,
Delhi
and
Mumbai
have
allowed
theatres
to
open
at
50
per
cent
capacity.
Several
states,
including
Madhya
Pradesh,
Rajasthan,
Punjab,
Gujarat
and
Andhra
Pradesh,
have
also
permitted
cinemas
to
resume
operations.
"We
are
eagerly
waiting
to
see
theatres
reopen
with
full
capacity.
That
said,
we
also
acknowledge
the
uncertainty
of
the
current
situation.
As
the
adage
goes,
health
is
wealth
--
and
it
is
all
the
more
important
now,”
said
Dharma
Productions
CEO
Apoorva
Mehta.
"The
extensive
vaccination
drive
being
carried
out
across
the
world
is
a
ray
of
hope
and
optimism.
As
and
when
the
majority
of
the
population
are
fully
vaccinated,
the
sense
of
safety
and
assurance
of
stepping
out
will
return,"
an
optimistic
but
cautious
Mehta
told
PTI.
Distributors
and
producers
have
announced
the
release
of
a
slate
of
films
this
month.
Bollywood
superstar
Akshay
Kumar
on
Monday
said
his
film
Bell
Bottom
will
release
in
theatres
on
August
19
in
3D
and
2D,
the
first
major
film
to
have
a
theatre
release.
The
Ranjit
M
Tewari-directed
thriller,
also
starring
Vaani
Kapoor,
Lara
Dutta
and
Huma
Qureshi,
was
originally
scheduled
to
release
in
April
this
year
but
was
postponed
to
July
27
due
to
the
second
wave
of
the
coronavirus
pandemic.
The
lineup
lists
a
host
of
Hollywood
movies,
including
the
latest
Fast
&
Furious
installment,
director
M
Night
Shyamalan's
Old,
Oscar-nominated
Promising
Young
Woman,
animated
feature
The
Croods:
A
New
Age
and
Bob
Odenkirk-starrer
Nobody.
Reliance
Entertainment
Group
CEO
Shibasish
Sarkar,
who
is
awaiting
the
release
of
two
big
films
from
his
stable,
Sooryavanshi
and
83,
said
long-term
planning
may
not
work.
Given
the
unpredictable
nature
of
the
pandemic
–
a
second
Covid
wave
hit
India
hard
in
April-May
--
it
is
futile
to
worry
about
the
release
of
his
two
big
films,
Sarkar
said.
"You
can
worry
about
something
only
if
things
are
in
your
control.
No
one
has
clarity
and
let’s
start
accepting
that
for
a
situation
that
is
much
larger,
people
have
to
be
flexible
and
agile
and
if
there
is
a
situation
then
we
have
to
make
quick
calls
and
there
has
to
be
backup
calls,”
he
said.
Jayantilal
Gada
of
Pen
Studios,
which
is
distributing
Bell
Bottom
as
well
as
Alia
Bhatt-starrer
Gangubai
Kathiawadi,
RRR
and
Attack,
said
all
of
these
films
will
release
theatrically.
"We
are
hopeful
about
the
future.
Both
the
central
and
state
government
are
doing
their
bit
to
contain
the
spread
of
the
virus.
They
will
give
permission
to
reopen
when
they
feel
the
situation
is
normal
and
safe," Gada
told
PTI.
"We
are
also
trying
to
understand
what
is
happening
in
which
state
and
then
accordingly
we
will
make
announcements.
I
am
hopeful
business
will
be
more
once
we
return
to
normalcy,
mainly
because
people
have
been
devoid
of
family
outings
during
the
pandemic,"
he
said.
It
has
been
more
than
a
year
that
the
theatrical
business
came
to
a
standstill
with
the
pandemic
forcing
cinema
halls
and
other
crowded
places
to
down
their
shutters
in
March
last
year.
Rajender
Singh
Jyala,
chief
programming
officer,
INOX
Leisure
Ltd,
opened
theatres
in
select
cities
on
July
30.
“With
some
Hollywood
movies,
the
industry
would
get
a
perfect
launching
pad,
which
would
prove
decisive
for
making
a
remarkable
comeback.
At
the
same
time,
we
are
absolutely
sure
that
we
are
one
blockbuster
away
from
witnessing
the
pre-COVID
cinema
enthusiasm.
“Movies,
which
were
released
after
the
first
wave,
like
Tamil
hit
Master
and
Telugu
movies
Krack
and
Jathi
Ratnalu,
proved
that
great
content
would
do
phenomenally
well,
even
in
restricted
seating
scenarios,”
Jyala
told
PTI.