GUWAHATI: The film industry in Assam is staring at huge losses ever since curtains came down on cinema halls nearly 15 months ago in the wake of the rapid spread of Covid-19 forcing hall owners to shut down their business temporarily.
Everyone associated with the film industry, stars to newcomers, are struggling in the absence of no income for months. The situation is so grim that it has forced some artists to change their professions. Some have even left the industry.
“The pandemic has taken a serious toll on cinema as a whole. All conventional platforms of exhibition are closed, from cinema halls to film festivals, for almost two years now and uncertainty is looming large over the industry. When your survival is questioned, creativity suffers the most. So the situation for cinema in Assam, like elsewhere, is grim,” National Award director Deep Choudhary told TOI.
Picture for representational purpose only.
GUWAHATI: No separate standard operating procedure (SOP) will be issued for cinema halls and theatres in Assam as when these resume operations with 100% occupancy, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) chief executive officer MS Manivannan said on Sunday.
“We will follow the Centre’s SOP regarding permission to the cinema halls. The guidelines laid down by the information & broadcasting ministry are final. Hall owners and movie-goers must follow those,” Manivannan told TOI.
Cinema halls have been allowed to open with full occupancy from Monday. The state has 78 cinema halls, including 20 in the city, providing livelihood opportunities to thousands of people. Four movie theatres in Guwahati, one in Nagaon district and one in Bijoynagar in Kamrup (Rural) have been shut down over heavy losses due to the pandemic.
GUWAHATI: A day after the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) issued standard operating procedures (SOP) allowing cinema halls to allow functioning at full capacity, Assam’s theatre owners, artistes’ fraternity and film lovers said they were now finally hoping for a turnaround.
Cinema halls and theatres are running with 50% seat capacity. “Now, they will be permitted to operate at higher seating capacity, for which a revised SOP will be issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in consultation with MHA,” the SOP stated.
Chinmoy Sarma, the owner of the Anuradha Cineplex that turned 50 on Wednesday, said, “The SOP has finally given a relief to cinema hall owners in the state. However, we will have to wait for a couple of days as an SOP will be issued for the halls and theatres by the state disaster management authority on the basis of I&B ministry’s revised SOP.”