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Multiplexes, theatres to reopen in Pune on Friday; single-screens after Diwali
After reopening of multiplexes and theatres, audiences will initially be able to enjoy music shows and comedy plays in the auditoriums and advance booking for the same has already begun
PUNE: In a spot of cheer ahead of the festival of lights, theatres and multiplexes in the Pune city are set to reopen from Friday; days after the government granted them permission to begin again.
After reopening, audiences will initially be able to enjoy music shows and comedy plays in the auditoriums and advance booking for the same has already begun.
Sunil Mate, who is in charge of auditoriums and cultural programmes in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, “We are receiving enquiries to book theatres. As the dates are vacant in October, there is no problem giving bookings to dramas and other shows. We are currently collecting the data of booking enquiries received all over the city.”
Musical shows and plays have been scheduled at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha and Balgandharva Natyagruha over the weekend. Satyajit Dandekar, who is coordinating the musical shows, said that audiences have responded well to the advance ticket booking.
“We have arranged a musical evening on October 23 and prominent singers will be part of the show which is scheduled at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha. Another musical show has been arranged on October 24. There has been an amazing response to ticket booking for these shows. Mostly, there have been group bookings by families,” said Dandekar.
Shows of the popular Marathi comedy play ‘Eka Lagnachi Pudhachi Goshta’ have also been scheduled on Sunday. “We have arranged two shows of the play on Sunday. There is good response for ticket booking for the play,” said Sameer Hampi of S H Enterprises that has organised the shows.
Multiplexes in the city too are reopening on Friday with the release of the new James Bond film ‘No Time to Die’. Prakash Chaphalkar, a partner in the city-based City Pride multiplex chain, said that initially only prominent properties will reopen. “There is a lot of preparation required for cleaning and sanitisation of screens. So initially, our prominent centres at Kothrud, Satara road, Shivajinagar will be reopened. Gradually, other centres will follow suit,” said Chaphalkar.
By contrast, several single-screen theatres in the city are unlikely to reopen immediately. Single-screen operators cited financial constraints and the restriction of 50% capacity for not reopening single-screens immediately.
Nitin Datar, president of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, said, “Single-screen owners have been dealing with many issues. So, most single-screens are unlikely to reopen from October 22.”
Deepak Kudale, former president of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI), said, “It is an optional issue for single-screen operators to open or not to open single-screens. Most single-screens will open after Diwali depending upon the situation. We had a meeting with the CM and deputy CM about the problems of single-screens on Oct 18. They assured us that our problems will be addressed and a solution found.”
