James Bond Says, Not Now

With Covid raging across the  universe  , is  this really the  right time to  open theatres?

No, says  ‘James Bond’ Daniel Craig who very clearly states, ‘This  is  not  the  right time.’ The next  James Bond flick has been moved to  April 2021.

The  State  of West  Bengal has proven Craig right. Theatres  opened  in Kolkata  to a hugely  underwhelming response.Who wants to risk his life to see a  film? The  decision to re-open theatres is clearly a commercial one, unsupported  by the reality  outside  the insulated darkness  of movie theatres.

Shatrughan  Sinha is  hopeful that  the decision to return to theatres  won’t go to waste. “Audiences  are craving to return to  movie theatres. No experience can replace the   theatre experience. It also  give a  livelihood to thousands . The movie-exhibition sector must get a chance .Why not? When other  places  of recreation are being re-opened?”

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has a  lot of reservations. “Imagine going to a theatre if they open now. How do you get there? If you go by your own car, will there be a parking attendant ?Then you go through a Covid testing screen. Then security.Then only every 4th seat can be occupied …need 3 seats (6 feet) in-between empty.Now if in the middle of an emotional scene , some one in the theatre starts coughing , are you going to stay ?If your Arogya Setu App proves you are  live-in partners .. then you could sit together !So now tell me, would you go to the theatre ?Or watch  Netflix at home?Drive-in theatres could make a comeback as they are in the rest of the world.”