Theatres will be back, no need to panic, says Sunil Narang
Leading Tollywood producer and exhibitor Sunil Narang says that there is no need for producers to panic since theatres in the Telangana region will be back in full swing from June. “There was no official bandh as such," The president of Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce tells Deccan Chronicle in an exclusive chit-chat.
Q: What is this confusion over the theatre bandh call?
A: Firstly, no bandh has been announced officially by any trade body so there is no need for any panic. Hence, as the president of Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce, I would say that theatres will be working normally from June onwards since big-ticket films like ‘Kalki, ‘Raayan’ and ‘Gangs of Godavari’ are set to hit screens to restore the glory of the theatre viewing experience. Everything will be back as usual and producers and viewers could heave a sigh of relief.
Q: But exhibitors chose to shut down since the audience went missing from 400-odd theatres?
A: I do admit that footfalls at theatres have come down drastically in the last few months since there were more flops than hits and exhibitors were worried about their existence. In fact, for the last two months, many theatres in Telangana didn’t even screen movies because they didn’t have enough content. Adding to their woes, IPL matches and elections in Telugu states also dented the box office collections.
Q: With big-ticket films like ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ and a few other films like ‘Gangs of Godavari', ‘Satyabhama’ and others set to revive theatrical interest?
A: It is true that films like ‘Kalki’ starring Prabhas and Deepika Padukone would give some boost to box office collections in the two Telugu states. Even Dhanush’s ‘Raayan’ and ‘Gangs of Godavari’ also have the potential to strike a chord with the masses and lure audiences back to theatres. Nothing could replace the joy of watching a movie with family and friends.
Q: You are also a leading exhibitor in Telangana, didn’t you face problems?
A: Of course, I had to run shows without viewers many times. I also agree that audience turnout at theaters has been ‘erratic’ for quite some time. One day, you have houseful crowds, while many days we are running shows without even a bare minimum audience. We are managing theatres with a lot of difficulty but yet, we are hoping for a bright future in the days to come.