Producer Anand Pandit is drawing up plans to offer some of his recent releases free to cinema owners and let them screen them in their halls. Theatres in the country have been shut down since mid-March.
Pandit wants the films to be shown to the public at zero cost. "As we slowly come out of this lockdown, it is my dream to see movie halls running once again," he said. "I thought what would be better than give our audiences some free entertainment within their favourite environs of a cinema hall while keeping all tenets of [physical] distancing in mind. My idea is that all cine-goers have to spend on is their popcorn and food."
While Pandit is waiting for a few permissions to go through to announce the film’s names, he has begun preliminary conversations with several cinema hall owners, and the response has been positive.
He intends to meet them soon to work out the details as he is ready to share the films immediately and is only waiting for the okay from the exhibitors. "We know the hardships cinema owners are going through,” Pandit said. “We have a very strong understanding of how their business has been impacted. This might be a good way to get many to return to the theatres."
The producer also has two films lined up for this year under his banner Anand Pandit Motion Pictures — Chehre, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, and The Big Bull, starring Abhishek Bachchan.