On Monday, Information and Publicity Minister of Tamil Nadu, Kadambur C Raju, told press and media that there is no possibility for the reopening of theatres owing to the large crowds that would flock in. He added that it would happen only after the coronavirus infection reduces and the situation turns normal.
தமிழகத்தில் தற்போது திரையரங்குகளை திறக்க வாய்ப்பில்லை
– அமைச்சர் கடம்பூர் ராஜூ#Movie | #CinemaTheatres | #CoronaLockdown pic.twitter.com/fnDTnokoAd
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) August 25, 2020
On Saturday, actor Suriya announced that his upcoming biggie Soorarai Pottru helmed by Sudha Kongara would hit Amazon Prime Video directly skipping a theatrical release. This came as a shocker to distributors and theatre owners who were banking on the film for revenue once theatres reopen after the long hiatus. His fans and audiences however had bittersweet reactions to the same.
Rumours are rife that several films will follow suit with certain production houses confirming that they will go the OTT way to avoid delay in release. Although, some films like Vijay‘s Master and Dhanush‘s Jagame Thandhiram have confirmed a theatrical release regardless of the delay.
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Speaking on this, Kadambur Raju said that the release of films on OTT platforms is not a healthy trend and will affect the industry and government.”There is no specific law to stop the release of films on OTT platforms. I feel it hampers the livelihood of thousands of people in the film industry. It will also incur a loss of revenue to the government. The industry stakeholders have to discuss and come to a consensus about the situation,” said Kadambur Raju in a statement to the press.
He also added that the government will permit film shooting soon since the central government has given the green signal for the same. Earlier this month, the minister said that the government does not plan on providing permission for film shooting given the current COVID19 situation in Tamil Nadu.
Read: ‘The Current Situation Will Not Permit Us To Grant Shooting Permission’: Kadambur Raju