Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has lamented about the 2021 Union Budget, announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday. Calling it a 'smart budget', he said that it all but ignores the film industry.
In an interview, Shatrughan said that the Centre hasn't 'bothered' about the entertainment industry.
He told Pinkvilla, "Film industry thap padi thi (The film industry had been shut down). But they have not bothered about them. The Centre has allowed theatres 100% occupancy but there is already a clash with the state that will decide on the occupancy, and just in case they allow only 50%, and God forbid if cases rise, then it will be like nahayenge kya aur nichodenge kya (we'll neither be here nor there).
Over the weekend, the government allowed cinema halls to operate with 100% capacity and issued a new set of SOPs (stand operating procedures) to be followed in line with the Covid-19 protocols. “Audiences may be encouraged to avoid movement during the intermission. Longer intermissions may be used to allow the audience seated in different rows of the auditorium to move in a staggered manner,” the I&B ministry’s statement said.
{{/usCountry}}Over the weekend, the government allowed cinema halls to operate with 100% capacity and issued a new set of SOPs (stand operating procedures) to be followed in line with the Covid-19 protocols. “Audiences may be encouraged to avoid movement during the intermission. Longer intermissions may be used to allow the audience seated in different rows of the auditorium to move in a staggered manner,” the I&B ministry’s statement said.
{{/usCountry}}While filming has resumed in large part, theatrical exhibition remains a less-than-profitable option for film producers. The handful of films that have released in theatres -- with the exception of Master -- have mostly underperformed.
This year, the budget was aimed at boosting the economy which is reeling under the devastating impact of the coronavirus lockdown. "This budget provided every opportunity for the economy to capture the pace it needs for sustainable growth," said the finance minister.
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