Ludhiana audience returns but multiplexes need a hero

LUDHIANA: The return of cinegoers gives some relief to the multiplex owners after a majority of the public had stopped going to the movies, yet this business still needs a relief package from the government in order to survive.
The numbers that have started regurning to the multiplexes are still not so high but a lot better than what it was six months ago, Poor turnouts at the shows had left the multiplex owners with huge losses, forcing many of them to look to the government for a helping hand to stay afloat for a while. Varinder Singh Chawla, who runs a multiplex near the railway station, told TOI: “We are relieved that people have started returning to the cinema houses and have rekindled their interest in movies. This number can go higher to the pre-Covid point hopefully in the coming days but, at this time, we struggle to cover our costs.”
Asked for the silver lining in this, Chawla said: “At least the losses are not as big as these were six months ago. It is our humble request to the new state government to help out our industry, which remained closed for a record time during the multiple waves of Covid-19 and lockdowns. We have suffered unbearable losses.”
Sandeep Gandhi, owner of another multiplex, said: “In the past two years, the situation has changed a lot for the multiplex business. A huge number of movie fans have shifted to the OTT platforms and mobile apps for entertainment, and stopped going to the single-screen theatres and multiplexes. Those customers who have returned are not as frequent as they used to be earlier.”
The drop in the earnings has been massive for the business. Gandhi said: “There have been days in the last six months when the occupancy for several movie shows on the trot has been as low as 5%. No doubt, the situation is changing but the government should also support us. The least they can do is consider waiving the state GST (goods and services tax) on the movies for one year, which will help us bounce back.”