Filmmakers in Assam are optimistic of making a comeback soon.
They said they will continue to attract fans to visit theatre halls post the Covid-19 phase worldwide as the stupendous success of Kanchenjanga, Ratnakar and Mission China says it all.
Sources in the Assam film industry claim that although the Covid-19 conundrum has put the world into a quagmire, it has not deterred the spirit of the industry and they are hopeful that cinema halls will start functioning from the third quarter of this year.
The pandemic has stalled major announcements of around four to five big-budget Assamese films, including the next untitled venture from JB Productions with the screening of approximately 25 films suspended up till November.
“We will conquer the pandemic very soon as already much progress has been made to evolve medicine and vaccine, Shankar Goenka, a film distributor, told The Telegraph.
He said he also had to postpone the launch of his new multiplex. The state’s iconic Kelvin theatre here has been converted into a multiplex and was scheduled for a launch in September.
Noted film actor/director and producer Jatin Bora said he was hopeful of a bright future for Assamese cinema and the Corona debacle is a passing phase as already medical researchers are working to conquer the virus.
“As the bombing of cinema halls in the state by miscreants in the past did not deter the spirits of cinema goers, this time also we can expect the audience to visit cinema halls gradually once this debacle is over,” said film critic Arun Lochan Das.
“It will take some time to reclaim losses on films whose shooting was under way but watching films in cinema halls will not get permanently affected,” said film director Hemanta Kumar Das, of the much-acclaimed Othello fame.
Siddhartha Goenka of Goenka Enterprise, Guwahati, said, “At the moment, we are willing to wait for a year for the pandemic to heal and no decisions are taken to launch the movies via the OTT (Over-the-Top) platform.”
While filmmaker Kenny Basumatary is going to wait and watch the success of footfall generated by the premier shows releasing post-Corona before deciding on the soft platform for his next release, Biswajit Borah, director of the blockbuster Bahniman, starring superstar Jatin Bora, is keen to release Lakhimi on the OTT platform.
It was suspended in theatres on April 24 following the lockdown.
Frequent zoom meets and webinars are being held by exhibitors pan-India to discuss safety parameters to continue the business once permission is granted for the functioning of halls.
Cinema hall owners know that precautionary measures will be undertaken once permission is issued by the government.
“Booking of seats will be reduced to 30-50 per cent in all cinemas across the state so that social distancing is maintained. There will be sufficient gaps between seats and rows. We will encourage 90 per cent online booking of tickets to prevent rush in the ticket counters. Regular sanitisation between shows will be conducted in halls,” Chinmoy Sharma, the president of the All Assam Cinema Hall Owners Association, said.
“We are hopeful that normalcy would return around three months post-lockdown in Assam,” said Sourav Dutta, the general manager (Northeast), UFO Moviez.
