Actor Dharmendra got emotional as he went past an old theatre in Ludhiana and saw it all deserted. Sharing a picture of Raikhy Cinema, Dharmendra tweeted, “Rikhy cinema, ludhiyana..... unginnat filmen dekhi hain yahaan....ye sannata ......dekh kar ..... dil udaas ho gaya mera ..... (I have watched innumerable films here, this silence. My heart is saddened watching this deserted place).”
Dharmendra also revealed that the last film he watched there was Dilip Kumar-starrer Deedar, writing, “Uss tadap ka apna hi nasha tha ....”
A fan responded to the tweet and talked about the snacks available at the theatre. The fan wrote, “Bhaji hum bhi Moga se aakar films dekhte the , Rekhy,Naulakha, Luxmi,Minerva, Deepakaur baad mein PreetPalace, Sangeet, Aarti aur kuchh aur.....Rekhy ke Tikki Toast(Vesan wali fried bread ) bahut tasty lagti thi us teens time mein.... please bataen agar Tikki Toast yaad hain.” Dharmendra then replied, “Budget mein..... ek chawanni... tikki samose ke liye hameesha rakhta tha (I always had 25 paise for tikki samosa saved in my budget).”
Theatres and cinema halls have been closed ever since the central government announced a complete lockdown late March. While the lockdown ended on May 31, and shootings as well as post production work also resumed late June with precautions in place, theatres and cinema halls are yet to open.
{{/usCountry}}Theatres and cinema halls have been closed ever since the central government announced a complete lockdown late March. While the lockdown ended on May 31, and shootings as well as post production work also resumed late June with precautions in place, theatres and cinema halls are yet to open.
{{/usCountry}}In the film industry, many films originally meant for theatrical release have been scheduled for digital premiere over the next few months. Amitabh Bachchan Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Gulabo Sitabo was among the first big ticket films to release online. Last week, Disney+ Hotstar also announced the release of seven major films originally meant for theatrical release. These include Alia Bhatt’s Sadak 2, Akshay Kumar’s Laxxmi Bomb, Abhishek Bachchan’s Big Bull, Ajay Devgb-Sanjay Dutt’s Bhuj The Pride of India and Sushant Singh Rajput’s Dil Bechara.
Amazon Prime Video has also announced that Vidya Balan’s Shakuntala Devi will begin streaming om its platform this month.
A few days ago, the Multiplex Association of India urged government to allow reopening of cinema halls and said in a statement, “As compared to unorganised retail shops that have opened up, multiplexes and cinema are part of the organised sector, playing hosts to ‘revenue paying’ customers only and hence, in a better position to limit crowds unlike marketplaces and deploy all the mechanisms and guidelines for crowd control and social distancing.”
“The livelihoods of more than a million people – right from spot boys to make-up artistes, musicians, designers, technicians and engineers to cinema employees to directors and actors – hinges on the survival of Indian cinema,” it added.
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