Kolkata: Citing huge losses and ‘no instance of the spread of COVID-19 through cinema halls’, owners of single-screen theatres in West Bengal have shot off a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The cinema hall owners have urged Mamata Banerjee to allow full occupancy in the halls.
The theatre owners sent the letter Tuesday evening. They said that they have suffered huge losses while complying with the rule of 50 per cent occupancy in cinemas since the reopening of the establishments in the third week of October.
“There has been no report on the spread of the pandemic by way of screening of films in cinema halls in and around India since the time the halls reopened,” the letter signed by Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) president Piya Sengupta said.
Sengupta informed theatre owners are suffering huge losses as no new Bengali or Hindi films are being released due to the occupancy restrictions. “If the occupancy restrictions are relaxed, several Bengali and Hindi movies waiting in the pipeline will be released. Exhibitors may be benefited and get a chance to survive,” the letter read.
The letter referred to a notification issued by the Tamil Nadu government, which allowed full occupancy in cinemas with adherence to the COVID-19 protocol.