Government, film artistes not bothered about our crisis, say Kolkata's single-screen theatre owners

While the Bengali film industry resumed shooting in June with safety guidelines issued by the state government, theatres have still not received permission to reopen.

In fact, theatres are unlikely to be allowed to reopen this month, too. And when the permission finally comes, they are expected to be allowed to run at only 25% occupancy to maintain physical distancing.

The situation has brought most single-screen theatre owners in the state to the end of their tether. Many have incurred heavy losses since the countrywide lockdown was imposed in March and are currently hoping for a green signal from the government to at least start the process of resuming business.

According to Satadeep Saha, owner of Kolkata's Ajanta theatre and Rupasree in Agartala, Tripura, it is important to first obtain permission so that they can plan ahead. “It is a process with many steps," he said. "First, the central government has to make a decision. Then state governments have to make individual decisions. Once we get permission, we have to start planning strategies to maintain physical distancing with minimum occupancy."

Even after theatres reopen, however, exhibitors remain doubtful about pulling in the crowds as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in the state and people are still scared to step out of their homes. Most people, they believe, will prefer to watch films on the various OTT platforms in the safety of their homes.

"Everybody will wait and strategize," Saha said. "Suppose we get permission, some national multiplex chains will have to open first and then, based on how they are doing, we will make our plans.”

He also pointed to the danger of having to shut down a second time if things go drastically wrong. “In China, they opened cinemas and had to close them again," he said. "This sends a negative vibe. We are already running at a loss. I don’t think we are in a position to spend more from our savings."

Sourabh Bose, owner of Basusree cinema hall, which has hosted the premieres of some iconic films in its heyday, including Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali (1955), pointed out that single-screens have been incurring heavy losses for the past 10 or 12 years. “We have not been able to make any profit for the past few years and are already running the business from our savings," he said. "This has been an extremely critical situation for us to bear the electricity bill and pay the huge corporation tax.”

Despite the danger of the contagion spreading, reopening with just 25% occupancy would also be a massive risk, Saha said. “The government won’t bear the cost of running a fully functional air-conditioned hall with minimum occupancy," he pointed out. "We are not even sure if there will be 5% occupancy. Once I start, my power and tax expenses will increase and I will also have to pay the full salaries of all my employees.”

Without sufficient patrons in cinema halls, producers are also unlikely to be keen to release new films in theatres. Initially, theatres will have to run older films like Avengers: Endgame (2019) and films that were running before the lockdown began. Bose worries that most of the big releases in the next few months would continue to be on OTT platforms. "While OTT platforms have undoubtedly given opportunities to new directors and reduced the cost of watching a film, the big screen has also created employment oppotunities for many people,” he pointed out.

Given all these challenges, most single-screen theatre owners are feeling let down by the film industry as well as the government. They pointed out that the entertainment industry has a big role to play in helping people to survive the pandemic. But the sector has been ignored by both the central and the state governments and there has been no financial aid for artistes or cinemas to survive.

“Even artistes who have built their careers on the theatrical release of their films have not stepped forward to help or raised a voice for cinema halls,” said Saha, whose Ajanta is one of Kolkata's oldest single-screen theatres.

Bose remains sceptical of the ability of exhibitors to manage the cost of operations in a post-COVID world. “We are planning according to the possible directive of opening with 25% occupancy," he said. "We will make sure the audience is spaced out well and will sell tickets according to the minimum occupancy numbers. We will not allow them to enter without masks and will also keep masks at the entrance. There will be bottles of hand sanitizers with the ticket checkers and the washrooms will also be properly sanitized.”

Despite all these precautions, Bose believes people will be scared to come out and gather in public spaces for the next few months. “A theatre is a confined space and the same air circulates inside," he pointed out. "There are increased chances of contamination. These are factors we will have to keep in mind.”

That is perhaps why Arijit Datta, owner of Priya cinema in tony south Kolkata, is sure theatres will not reopen even if a date is given by the government. “We are the only industry which pays GST that cannot be offset," he said. "Other industries are able to offset GST while selling. In our sector, the entire amount goes to the government. We were the first to close down and will probably be the last to reopen our businesses, but nothing is given to us.”

Once permission is granted, probably 10% of the theatres in the entire country might reopen, Datta said. The national chains would be forced to resume business because of their financial troubles, but the rest would prefer to wait and watch, he said.