After
people
thronged
cinemas
for
popular
Tamil
actor
Vijay
starrer
Master,
police
on
Wednesday
booked
a
case
against
a
theatre
here
for
allegedly
violating
the
state
government
order
on
permitting
only
50
per
cent
occupancy
during
screening
of
films
due
to
the
COVID-19
pandemic.
The
popular
theatre
in
the
city
was
one
among
the
many
in
Tamil
Nadu
where
the
movie
was
released
coinciding
with
the
Pongal
harvest
festival
and
is
said
to
have
enjoyed
a
good
opening
on
its
first
day.
The
incident
came
to
light
when
videos
of
the
crowds
went
viral
on
social
media.
The
MGR
Nagar
police,
who
registered
a
case
against
the
theatre
management,
said
a
penalty
of
Rs
5,000
was
levied.
The
theatre
reportedly
allowed
more
viewers
to
watch
the
first
big-ticket
release
since
the
coronavirus-induced
lockdown
kicked
in
last
year.
Visuals,
purportedly
from
inside
the
theatre,
showed
people
occupying
almost
all
the
seats
in
clear
violation
of
COVID-19
regulation
like
physical
distancing.
Many
of
the
viewers
in
the
videos
were
found
not
wearing
masks.
The
much-awaited
film
in
which
another
top
actor
Vijay
Sethupathi
and
Malavika
Mohanan
play
lead
roles
was
released
in
different
states
in
the
country
on
Wednesday
and
attracted
massive
crowds
in
Tamil
Nadu.
Directed
by
Lokesh
Kanagaraj
under
Xavier
Britto''s
XB
Film
Creators
banner,
Master
has
had
a
phenomenal
opening
in
the
state,
with
fans
thronging
the
cinema
halls
to
watch
the
first
show
of
the
film
in
the
wee
hours,
according
to
sources.