Mukta A2 Cinemas reopens three locations across country

The theatre chain Mukta A2 Cinemas reopened three of its locations across the country from 15 November on the Diwali holiday weekend.

Mukta A2 Cinemas has resumed operations in Bhopal, Ahmedabad, and the Jai Hind property in Lalbaugh, Mumbai with the Hindi comedy-drama Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2020) starring Manoj Bajpayee, Diljit Dosanjh and Fatima Sana Shaikh.

“We’ve been down a long, hard road since the outbreak of the pandemic, during which thousands of people in the media and entertainment industries saw their livelihoods disrupted,” Rahul Puri, managing director of the theatre chain, said. “But following the recent announcement by the ministry of information and broadcasting, we’re thrilled to announce our reopening.”

“The safety of our guests and the public is always our foremost concern. To that end, we are reopening our locations in a phased manner, ensuring the highest standards of hygiene for our visitors. We look forward to reopening all of our other properties in the months to come as per upcoming movie releases, and welcoming everyone back to the silver screen once more," he continued.

Business head Sachidanand Shetty added, “With a mission to ensure that our guests are safe and enjoy their movie experience, Mukta A2 Cinemas is ensuring compliance with all the reopening norms regulated by the government of India and has commenced screening movies at our properties in a phase-wise manner and look forward to reopening all our properties soon as the content pipeline stabilizes. We wish all our esteemed guests and team members happy and prosperous times ahead”.

A video released by the chain shows the steps it is taking to implement high safety and hygiene standards. The video demonstrates how audiences can self-check into theatres through contactless procedures and maintain social distancing norms once inside. Temperature checks with non-invasive infrared thermometers will be taken upon entry and the usage of masks is mandatory. Hand sanitizers will be available at all touchpoints within the theatre.

Mukta A2’s ‘in-cinema seat separation’ method will ensure an empty seat between patrons, and social distancing will be also be maintained during screenings as guests will be seated row-wise while maintaining the recommended meter-wide distance.

All areas on the premises, including the box office, security area, lobby, restrooms, and food and beverage stands, will be disinfected. These measures will be further strengthened by the periodic deep cleaning and sanitization of strategic locations and daily deep cleaning of auditorium seats.
 
All cinema employees will be held to the highest standards of cleanliness, with only medically-certified staff permitted to work. The usage of masks, gloves, and the Aarogya Setu app will be mandatory.