After a long wait, the government of India has finally allowed theatre owners to resume operations from 15th October, though at a capacity cap of 50%. Ever since cinemas closed their doors for the public in March in an attempt to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, a number of Indian films have opted for a digital release to reach the audience.
The entertainment industry took a huge sigh of relief on Wednesday when the Indian government, in its unlock phase 5, announced that theatres can reopen from the 15th of this month.
Now, the one question which has been hovering in everyone’s mind since yesterday is that which will be the first film to release after theatres open on 15th October. An entertainment portal reports that Christopher Nolan's Tenet will be the first Hollywood film and southern star Vijay’s Master will be the first South Indian film to arrive in theatres. And when it comes to Bollywood, Kiara Advani's Indoo Ki Jawani is expected to take the lead.
“Tenet has been ready, and the team of Master was also prepared to release as soon as the news came. So, they are locked. Among the Bollywood films, Nikkhil Advani did a smart thing by not selling his next production venture Indoo Ki Jawaani to any of the online giants. They are not bound by the contract. They just released a song and a few promos but none of it had a mention of the release. Now, with unlock 5, the Kiara Advani-starrer will be the first major film starring an A-list actor that will release in theatres for sure,” an exhibitor tells the publication.
He goes on to add, “It will also help the other producers test the water in a way. Indoo Ki Jawaani is a small-budgeted film that has already recovered its costs. Plus, the 50% occupancy won't make much of a difference to it, since a film in this space would have found it difficult to have higher occupancy, even with full 100% capacity. So, Indoo Ki Jawaani has got the best bet for sure. Apart from that, even Jayantilal Gada plans to release their next film titled Flight, which stars newcomers in the cinemas.”
Made under the banner of Emmay Entertainment in association with T-Series Films, Indoo Ki Jawani has been directed by Abir Sengupta. It also stars Aditya Seal and Mallika Dua in important roles.
