Two weeks after rules’ relaxations, cinema halls not prepared to open

TNN
Ludhiana: Two weeks after lockdown restrictions were relaxed in the city, cinema halls and multiplexes are still closed and may not open soon. The cinema hall owners say they have already suffered huge losses and will consider resuming operations only when the government introduces a relief package for them.
Varinder Singh Chawla, a multiplex owner, said, “The cinema and multiplex business’s future is very uncertain. We have been the worst sufferers of the lockdowns. During the first wave of coronavirus, we had to keep our operations shut for eight months and were finally allowed to open in November 2020. After incurring huge expenses, we resumed shows but received a very poor response from the public and could not even cover our operational costs. Now, it will be like a gamble to open the cinema halls and spend lakhs on operations when there is no guarantee that there will be no lockdown again.”
“We have suffered unprecedented losses and it is impossible to come out of the financial mess. So we want the state and the Central governments to lend a helping hand to us and bring out a relief package for us. Along with announcing a three-year tax holiday for cinemas and multiplexes, we should also be given interest-free and collateral-free loans for the revival of our businesses,” he added.
Gursahib Singh, PRO of a multiplex, said unlike any other business, it was a very daunting task to restart operations of cinema halls. “We will take a call in the coming days after taking into account the number of new movie releases and the coronavirus cases.”
A large number of people employed in the cinema and multiplex business have changed jobs due to the uncertainty. A Punjab Mata Nagar resident, who was working as a cashier at a multiplex, said, “From April 2020 till now, we have worked only for three to four months. There has been no hike in salaries as not enough business was generated by multiplexes even to manage the expenses incurred in operations. As uncertainty looms over the future of this business, I think it is better to shift to some other job.”