In early May, the British newspaper 'Guardian' published a news on its website with pictures showing how people are enjoying the cinema on the big screen in open spaces and the popularity of such cinemas is increasing. Some very beautiful photographs were put in it, including a picture of a family of four members living in the US state of Utah, who were sitting in their cars waiting to be screened on screen. A picture was also of the audience visiting the open-air cinema in Tehran for the first time since 1979. There was also a picture of Lithuania in which a group is sitting on the side of the airport runway enjoying the film while the airplanes are standing behind them. These pictures were confirming that the popularity of open theaters in many countries was increasing, which many people said was a failure for the future.
There was no mention of India in these pictures. But now, change can also be seen here. The government has allowed open-air theaters to resume operations from September 21, following which the owners of these theaters are preparing to open their doors to cinema audiences after a gap of about six months. However, regular cinemas will still be closed.
The government's decision is significant in the sense that perhaps for the first time, open-air theaters have been publicly accepted at the policy level. Abhijit Shah, co-founder of 'Under the Stars', an open-air film company in Bangalore and its surroundings, believes,' It is a big thing for us to recognize this as a separate category in the national level guidelines. Be given. ' Shivangini Bathla, manager (marketing and materials) at Sunset Cinema Club (SCC), Delhi, says that the area has always operated as an undefined and ruleless area but the new announcement has sealed the legitimacy. She says, 'People remember these places in the same way as they used to be earlier. Very few people have any idea how they look now. This trend may change.
The open-air theater once used to be a popular means of entertainment but its trend has returned in the last few years. Shah started 'Under the Stars' in 2017 with two friends and he is confident that the lavish atmosphere of Bengaluru will be able to garner viewership for the film. Open-air cinema is largely dependent on the weather. On the other hand, SCC sees it as a happy alternative to traditional cinemas. Certainly, nostalgia only added to its charm.
With most of the entertainment medium now being considered unsafe, the open-air cinemas are hoping that their demand for this new offering will increase. Atin Lohia, co-founder of Gurgaon Talkies, says, "This is a format that is suitable for times of epidemic and you don't even have to step outside your car."
Lohia's open-air theater in Gwal hill of Gurugram has a place to park 40 cars and can seat 150 people to watch open-air cinema. However, due to physical distance rules, this figure can come down to the level of 60 and this business will return. On average, a ticket costs Rs 400 and there are only two shows on most days.
Along with the entertainment, arrangements were made in 'Under the Stars' in the pre-coronavirus era through bean bags and food trucks. The challenge is that open-air theaters are generally unable to show new films. SCC, for example, has collaborated with production houses such as Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, and Warner Bros. and has around 11,000 films but new films till January 2020. Similarly, the emphasis of 'Under the Stars' is on old films. Shah says studios demand that their films be shown on projectors suited for digital cinema, which are too expensive equipment and small-scale theaters cannot afford that much. However, there are some exceptions. Sunset Open Air Cinema in Ahmedabad and Prarthana Beach Cinema in Chennai are very famous where new films are shown. Lohia says that offering new films is not an option right now. But Gurgaon Talkies will give viewers a chance to watch films that have recently been shown on various OTT platforms. In March, Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan's film 'English Medium' was shown soon after its release.
However, there are only open-air cinemas in India. The opening of multiplexes and theaters has not been allowed, which has increased their displeasure but because of the prevailing environment, now multiplex chains are also working on these models to start their business. According to a report published in a newspaper last month, PVR Cinema, Inox Leisure and Carnival Cinema are all exploring new possibilities. However, PVR has confirmed to Business Standard that this is a special scheme and PVR plans to launch it on one of its 854 screens in the coming months. Recently, PVR Cinemas Chairman Ajay Bijli had raised doubts about the effectiveness of this model in India. Instead, multiplexes want the government to allow viewers to watch movies the way they used to. Alok Tandon, CEO of Inox Leisure, says, "Considering that restaurants, offices, gyms and hotels were allowed to operate, we were also hoping to get theaters open again. Our revised SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) gives an idea of how committed we are to cleanliness by taking care of the audience. Looking at our socio-economic impact, we sincerely hope that we will be allowed to work soon. '
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