Movie Theatres Stare At Empty Seats

 The Coronova cases and casualties  might have dwindled  drastically.  This doesn’t mean audiences  are rushing back  to movie theatres with stars  in their  eyes and popcorn bags in their hands. Far from it. Movie theatres  all across India  wear  a  bleak barren look, like  a ‘kabristan’ as Salman Khan  aptly put it.

And it’s not going to get any better in February or March. Shocking as  it may sound, there are  no fresh releases  to be put into  movie theatres.

“How  long can  we survive on leftovers?” a source  from one of the leading multiplex chains bemoans. “We are running dubbed  version of Master  to  empty  theatres. It is  a  hopeless situation.”

The greed of producers  to  grab  quick bucks offered to them  by  OTT platforms has effectually  shut off all possibilities  of a revival in  the  movie business.As for hopes being raised after the  success  of two South Indian  films Master  and  Krack in January  is concerned,  producer Sheetal Talwar  says  it  was a  false  hope. “Vijay’s fan clubs in Tamil Nadu  made Master a  hit. And  Ravi Tejaa’s fans in Andhra and Telangana  made  Krack a  hit. The same  audience won’t return for  another actor’s release.”

With  no  hope of revival  in fortunes,  movie theatres  in  India are looking at  the  despondent  possibility of closing down again.Unless something completely  unexpected happens.