Information and Publicity minister Kadambur Raju stated that a decision on the opening of movie theatres will be decided soon by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami. He further added that no guidelines had been decided yet, that could be followed by theatre owners on reopening.
Theatres in Tamil Nadu were shut down in March along with the announcement of the first lockdown. Given that the very nature of movie watching involves sitting in close quarters with hundreds of people in a closed air conditioned hall, the opening of theatres could prove to be detrimental to the fight against the virus. The move has however resulted in huge losses for theatre owners.
"There are no guidelines yet as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned. We saw that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee has announced opening of theatres from October 1," said Minister Kadambur Raju. "As far as theatres are concerned, it's a place where people come together. So the Chief Minister will take the right decision regarding this," he added.
Theatre owners meanwhile are desperately waiting to open shutters and ready to work with any conditions that could be issued by the government. Theatres are looking to have separate entry points, reduction in number of tickets per screens, modification of air conditioning systems and physical distancing in their premises.
They are currently also grappling with the release of films on OTT as the screens remain closed. The release of Suriya's film Surari Pottru scheduled for October 30 created tensions and was heavily criticised by theatre owners.
Meanwhile the state has allowed for the reopening of shopping malls, stores, parks, sports grounds, the metro rail and public buses. Offices too have been allowed to function. However guidelines have been issued that insist upon mask wearing and physical distancing.