50% seating capacity to continue in Tamil Nadu theatres; govt decision likely on Monday

The government of Tamil Nadu has notified the Madras High Court that it will formulate a solution and give a detailed reply on the capacity of the cinema before the Pangal Film Festival by January 11. The bench is listening to a written petition submitted by Madurai’s defender Kannan representative S Muthu Kumar.

After filing a written complaint against the state government's recent order (allowing 100% of the cinema seats to be occupied), the court’s Madurai judge has dealt with the matter. The petitioners opposed the order, pointing out the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fear of the British virus strain. 

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In the pandemic, government intervention has been criticized by all quarters because it is a public health risk. Celebrities in the film industry, including Arvind Swami, have said that maintaining the 50% ratio is an appropriate move. A few days after the order was issued, the Union Secretary of the Interior sent a letter to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, instructing to follow the central government's unlocking guidelines. 

According to the latest guidelines from the Ministry of the Interior, cinemas must operate with a maximum seating capacity of 50%. 

Attorney Generals MM Sundaresh and S Anandi mentioned that the theater must maintain a 50% occupancy rate until the state government announces its decision on Monday. They also acknowledged the recommendation mentioned in the written petition, which said that if the theater deems it feasible, the theater can conduct more screenings under the COVID-19 protocol.

After the outbreak of the pandemic, a blockade was implemented in March last year. Most movies have adopted the OTT route. Theater owners are very worried about this. Although cinemas have allowed 50% of the audience to be shown in November, this means less patronage, because there are hardly any new, large budget movies that can be shown.

After the Theater Owners Association called for a higher occupancy rate, the government decided to allow a 100% occupancy rate. The main beneficiaries of the announcement are actor Vijay's movie "Master" and Simbu's "Easwaran", which was originally scheduled to be held in Pongal on January 13th. ) Festival. The master originally planned to be released in the summer of 2020, but it had to be postponed due to the pandemic, and even rumors of the OTT route were circulating in the film.

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