Now that 100% occupancy has been ensured in theatres, let’s just be safe and responsible and leave the rest to the movie gods.
When the announcement came that Tamil Nadu theatres would be open at 100% capacity to accommodate Master and Eeswaran, my jaw dropped. Really? What kind of message is being sent out? That the pandemic is over? That, at least in Tamil Nadu, it’s no longer a concern? Or, that the Tamil Nadu government has done its bit for all these months and now it’s up to us to be grown-ups and choose wisely? That we can’t be kept prisoners forever, and when we choose to use public transport and when we say we’re fine going to beaches and temples, we should be okay choosing to see Master, as well?
One part of me — the part that’s just recovered from COVID — says we need to get on with life. I am super-OCD about masks and sanitisers, and when even I ended up with the damned disease, the first question that came up was: But what more could I have done? If all those precautions didn’t help, if all of that was a gamble anyway, maybe it’s not that much of a stretch going to a theatre and sitting in that stale air for three-something hours!
But then, I saw a Facebook post from a doctor:
https://www.facebook.com/aravinth.srinivas/posts/3937347876284519
Read the rest of this article at the link above.
Copyright ©2021 Film Companion.
MANK
January 5, 2021
So all things considered, it boils down to this: Is a movie worth it?
Absolutely not. if this order is implemented and we have 100% occupancy in theaters, then be prepared for a big jump in COVID cases, and now with the virus mutating, it’s going to be a disaster.
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abzee
January 5, 2021
Read this news, and was appalled to say the least. This is reckless, and unbecoming of a massive star to push for. Scant respect for the lives of those very fans that one can see are nothing more than numbers at the end of the day. While I do strongly feel that tentpole releases must wait and owe it to the medium to eventually release in the theatres, this is just greedy without a conscience. Sorry for the strong feelings.
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filmarcher
January 5, 2021
Perfect recipe to make TN a disaster zone! I’m in the U.S. and case numbers here are soaring! Trust me you DO NOT WANT to create such a situation in Chennai during the rainy season!
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Madan
January 5, 2021
I think this is terrible and especially to relax this for a movie. That too, Ilayathalapathy? This guy has political ambitions? Because if he does, he is not making a great case for his leadership attributes. Nor is EPS for that matter. 100% occupancy is madness, utter madness.
To echo the sentiments of that FB post, the whole time I was in the covid center, the medical staff were very positive and cheerful even though they were in PPEs all the time. The service was excellent. And I still get calls once every few days from the municipal corporation to check whether I am OK.
We traditionally have a very skeptical view of the capability of govt to deliver service but in covid, govt has stepped up and fought the disease hard. Derailing all these efforts for a movie is appalling.
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Shankar V
January 5, 2021
Utter stupidity. But what more to expect from Thala/Thalapathy fans? They will risk their lives and go to thronging the theaters.
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Yajiv
January 5, 2021
#VirusComing
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Satya
January 5, 2021
I think this is terrible and especially to relax this for a movie. That too, Ilayathalapathy? This guy has political ambitions? Because if he does, he is not making a great case for his leadership attributes. Nor is EPS for that matter. 100% occupancy is madness, utter madness.
I agree, but I also saw this coming. I mean, who knows if only 50% was allowed officially? 100% would still happen, if I read Thalapathy’s stardom and his fans’ devotion correctly. And for men like Vijay, a film’s performance is a concern of honour and prestige. Conscience is too strong a word to use in this case when lots of money is involved. This ain’t art but commerce alone.
Well, BR and my fellow readers and commentators – if you are heading to watch this film, please take care of your health and follow all the precautions. That’s all I can say.
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hari
January 5, 2021
And then we the great people of the greatest state Tamizhagam believe that only cinema karanga is going to bring in the required changes to make us even greater …
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Sahir.
January 5, 2021
I have a very tiny request to make, which is almost nothing to do with the actual article. I’d just like to ask that you refrain from using terms like ‘OCD’ lightly, to describe being fussy, being particular, being hyper-aware of small details. OCD is a mental health disorder. Unless one actually suffers from OCD, it would be more thoughtful to write, ‘I am extremely/ superhumanly/ extraordinarily careful/ particular about masks and sanitisers.’ Thanks!
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gnanaozhi
January 5, 2021
This is exactly the same cognitive dissonance I have raised here in many discussions.
On one hand the self superior Lemurian Masterrace will cry “le superior Tamilzhanda, le bad Naarth India” and then go ahead and do nonsense like this.
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Voldemort
January 5, 2021
Thanks for writing this BR. Even otherwise careful people are pre-booking tickets cause “iF yOu CaN oPEn a WoRkPLacE, BuSeS, TrAINs, tHeN wHY nOT a 2 HOur movie”
(People are literally saying this IRL, Facebook and Twitter)
Facepalm.
And the worst thing is, these RASIGARGAL may not get inflicted, but they will transmit it to several people who did no wrong. Why should others be punished for their rabid stupidity?
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Anuja Chandramouli
January 5, 2021
I miss going to the theatres. Really really miss it. Sometimes I think fondly of the big screen experience and am convinced OTT platforms will never match up and look forward to watching a film on the big screen soon. Hell, I will probably kill for some caramel popcorn and cold coffee. But I guess I will give Master a miss. For hundred percent occupancy is madness.
My husband was Covid – ed and in the hospital for two really tense weeks while the kids and I were home – quarantined and mercifully asymptomatic. He is a germaphobe and I am a neat freak, and neither of us ever stepped out of the house without sanitizer (even in the pre corona era) so what I am trying to say is that we were really really careful and the damn thing got him anyway. But clearly in these troubled times we can’t be too careful.
P.S: I am an STR fan as well and it is cool that he is finally taking his career seriously but I will be giving Eeswaran a miss too. Damn.
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Naren
January 5, 2021
This is pretty much self-explanatory. I guess people r just aching for more, to b on par with the U.K. variant or maybe surpass that.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2020/dec/29/229-virus-variantswith-spike-protein-mutation-in-india-2242372.html
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kaizokukeshav
January 5, 2021
Hope the doctor is not attacked by emotional people. Now Telugu film producers council is asking for 100% occupancy. Selfishness thrives after all.
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sanjay
January 5, 2021
Forget going to movies for a very long time. US tested model with Wonder Woman is the closest we are going to get to movies. TV and social media is the new entertaintment source. No wonder Rajni is joining politics to make full use of these medium. We have seen Modi become a superstar and people worship him the way they do a salman and rajni. Thinking actors are the future for cinema and web. Buy a big TV and enjoy movies in the quietness of your home. Mass superstars are thing of the past. pankaj tripathis will rule the roost henceforth
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Madan
January 5, 2021
Naren: We are headed for disaster barring a course correction. I never thought I would one day be thankful for Uddhav Thackeray of all people but I do appreciate his caution in sharp contrast to the cavalier approach in Chennai.
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Rambo
January 5, 2021
Lets hope #vaithyamcoming. I think India has been lucky that it has so far avoided the UK/SA variant which is really running through the UK like a late night kaiyendhi bhavan dinner through my system. However, I know several people who have travelled from UK to India and Chennai in the past month. If it does get into the populace, we could mess up all the good work done to date. While I have some limited sympathy with producers who have invested in the film, I am fairly certain they can make their money back going down the OTT route, trying a pay-per-view model. All the other supposed benefits such as artists seeing their work appreciated and fans being able to see it in a full house is just not worth it at all. Lets hope Vijay is lucky and all this doesn’t lead to a second spike.
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Arjun
January 6, 2021
Schools still closed, but 100% occupancy in theaters and crowded political rallies with zero distancing. Wonderful.
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Madan
January 6, 2021
Anuja : Damn. It’s a scary one, isn’t it? Feels almost like we’re living a sci fi movie (I distinctly remember one that showed humans helplessly transmitting a macabre disease). My cousin sis is fastidious like your husband and she got it way back in May or something. That was in Michigan and even with university in online mode. There’s no saying how you can get the damn virus. Hope your husband is absolutely fine now. Glad to hear you didn’t get a serious bout of it.
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Enigma
January 6, 2021
Sheer madness! We can’t expect anything better from our tamil politicians, movie stars, producers and the rest of the selfish lot. I just can’t help contrasting this with the way Australia is handling the pandemic. There was a small outbreak in the state of NSW, immediately restrictions were introduced, other states closed their borders, affected suburbs were shutdown, masks have been made mandatory on public transports and in supermarkets etc. People would have also read that capacity of Sydney Cricket Ground (where the test match is scheduled to commence tomorrow) was slashed to 25% of normal. That is the kind of seriousness with which Australia is handling this pandemic and that is the reason why they have been so successful. But we Indians with our Chalta Hai attitude, lack of respect for rules & regulations, zero concern for public health & safety have fucked this up royally. Even the highly paid Indian cricket stars, who are supposed to set an example for the rest, were found to have breached protocols in this current Australian tour. What a bloody embarrassment. Tamil Nadu politicians and film stars, with all their lofty equality/rationalism, are the worst of the lot. What a shitshow this is turning out to be.
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An Jo
January 6, 2021
Getting uglier by the day with the Aussies trying to play the moral high ground…can’t expect much from that country/team; considering that it had a Chappel who believed in under-arm bowling…
A spicy third Test could be on the cards at the SCG after Australian captain Tim Paine revealed tensions “are starting to boil” as a result of unnamed sources within the Indian camp who have been complaining about the quarantine provisions and the location of the fourth and final Test.
Speaking on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Test in Sydney, Paine made it crystal clear that sections of the Australian set-up weren’t thrilled about reports suggesting India did not want to travel to Brisbane if they had to adhere to strict hotel quarantine protocols.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/tension-starting-to-boil-paine-hints-at-fiery-scg-test-after-india-rumblings-20210106-p56s33.html
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Srinivas R
January 6, 2021
The level of selfishness from Vijay and other Tamil cine stars is mind blowing. Sethalum paravallai, en padatha paathutu saavunga is the message here.
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Naren
January 6, 2021
Thackeray is doing what he does because MH has suffered so much. It’s like the Italy of India. TN on the other hand, rather than learning lessons and having a foresight, has chosen to plough thru the disaster because we haven’t experienced the suffering as much. But even so, people like Thackeray r fighting the smaller battles like regulating and monitoring the activities of different sections of the ecosystem, when what needs to b done is crush the war in its entirety. The only way to do that is –
1.Declare a complete lockdown for an indefinite period of time. Perfect this for the hotzones first and then extrapolate.
2.Establish draconian laws for masking and distancing [We brought this upon ourselves].
3.Manage the current medical situation.
4.Actually plan the PROPER steps ahead [no shortcuts] for vaccination.
Only a hardcore lockdown wud give the administrations ample breathing space to think things thru and plan ahead. I simply don’t get what is so difficult to understand here. We squandered the previous attempt but it’s still not too late. Otherwise, different parts of the ecosystem wud keep springing up, demanding economic segues, favours and preferential treatments. Now it’s entertainment media but soon manufacturing might follow the footsteps and then services and then before we know it wud b a wildfire out of our hands. The symbiosis of sellers’ selfishness and buyers’ ignorance has to b severed for good for the next couple of years. The governments have to b the unbiased oversight for this to happen. They were quick to shutdown a saree shop for violating the “norms” and yet they’re willing to enable now?! U.S. just reported 3900 deaths in the past DAY. U.K. reported 3000+ deaths in ONE DAY.
I don’t know anything anymore . . . I just don’t.
Oh and bird flu outbreak now . . . YAY!!! More fun!!!
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Satya
January 6, 2021
Sethalum paravallai, en padatha paathutu saavunga is the message here.
Now that’s pretty straightforward and I like it. Here’s the catch – do you think the audience, esp fans are actually levelheaded after the trauma of lockdown? No. Restrict them to 50% and they along with the theatre management would make a 100%. I, for one, believe that this is an issue of ‘mariyadhai’ for the fans as well. In fact, more than usual.
I am from the Telugu states, so let me give an example. In my friend’s village, 100% occupancy was found for Solo Brathuke So Better unofficially, and it continued for 2-3 shows until the police showed up. Now, it might have ended that day. But, what about the next day? 100% happened. Simply because fans wanted to enjoy and theatres wanted to recover. A week later, the film was released on OTT on January 1st and hence no one needs to turn up at the theatres now.
Sai Dharam Tej is a smaller star. His background is his uncle Chiranjeevi, and the film was never a ‘most-awaited’ deal. Vijay is a superstar and Master is long-awaited. Restrictions on or off, 100% is going to happen. The fact that it is legally happening is only adding salt to injury.
I don’t want to comment about others, but let me say this – if I am assured of the eventuality of the Vaathiyar coming, I shall, in the interests of my family and everyone around me, cheerfully bunk the class at the cinema.
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Enigma
January 6, 2021
@An Jo, I live in Sydney and the general culture here is that of compliance. People are generally law abiding, of course there are idiots here too but they are the exceptions. I take the public transport to work and everyone here is masked up. The government has handled the pandemic exceedingly well, better than any other country. They are taking the pandemic very seriously. In India, the rich and powerful expect special treatment, do not think that rules apply to them. So when reports emerged that the Indian cricket team were whinging about the strict movement restrictions in Brisbane, people were naturally horrified. It is high time Indians learnt to follow rules and regulations.
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H. Prasanna
January 6, 2021
@BR Have you decided yet if you are going to watch it in theaters with the normal audience to review it?
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Aman Basha
January 6, 2021
@Naren: ” U.K. reported 3000+ deaths in ONE DAY.”- It wasn’t even 700. Caution is necessary, but not fear mongering.
More than this announcement, which was happening, given the general drop in COVID cases and Covid worry post the vaccine, I am genuinely suspicious of the case count in our country. It is simply unbelievable that we’d defy every model, all of which have been accurate for every other country in the world. No time to get lax on Sankranti, I see.”
PS: Master seems to be breaking records in pre theatre bookings.
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krishikari
January 6, 2021
But what more could I have done? If all those precautions didn’t help, if all of that was a gamble anyway, maybe it’s not that much of a stretch going to a theatre and sitting in that stale air for three-something hours!
This thought is the scariest. I am sitting here in a European country where people hate to be told what to do, normally that is a healthy respect for personal autonomy but once in a while it stands in the way of common sense. I think the only thing preventing an even more spreading is the lower relative population density compared to India. Only recently have they started wearing masks indoors and closed schools again and guess what? A slight decrease in cases. Luckily they started vaccinating healthcare workers today.
But agree with Satya. I don´t think allowing 50% capacity is going to be much better than 100%. 0% might work.
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Naren
January 6, 2021
My bad. I meant to say 3000+ cases and approx. 1500 deaths in one day and that was back in April. Apparently, only the new variant stats seem to b of ur concern. But I sincerely hope u feel ABSOLUTELY FEARLESS after this because I’d hate for anyone to b delusional because of my misrepresentation of one region’s numbers.
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Ram
January 6, 2021
This is baffling. How/ why is the TN govt allowing this. Do they not know this is a recipe for disaster, with the new strain and all. Why are they provisioning this for the makers of the film?
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Voldemort
January 6, 2021
Rambo : I am fairly certain they can make their money back going down the OTT route, trying a pay-per-view model.
This is something I have been wondering for a long time! Given the power and money that a Vijay has, they can very well develop a special app/website with pay per view facility and maybe even a feature like an Instagram live video where people can simultaneously comment or like or whatever. There are so many options if one comes to think of it.
Maybe it really is only a matter of the prestige associated with whistles and palabishekam.
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Anuja Chandramouli
January 6, 2021
Thanks for asking Madan. The husband is doing well now. When he started showing initial symptoms (very mild), he moved to the guest room immediately and was always masked up. Which is probably why the kids and I got off lightly. Point is extreme caution may not be entirely enough but it goes a long way to ensure the safety of those around us.
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madhusudhan194
January 6, 2021
Centre has hit back saying that the guidelines can’t be diluted. Centre allows only for 50% occupancy. So TN as a state cannot increase it to 100%. So glad that some sense has finally prevailed in some corner.
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An Jo
January 7, 2021
@Enigma: Yes I agree with you. The only thing is I was amused at who the covid restrictions were considered ‘mind-games’ and all and someone said India has never won in Brisbane. I totally agree that if they are in Australia, Indian players need to follow the protocol.
Aside, I was also surprised with the crowd in the India Aus matches. I saw there was hardly any distancing! I am also following the Pak-NZ series in NZ that is actually jam-packed! It is like CV never hit NZ! Of course, the NZ PM has done a terrific job.
Regarding 100% occupancy, that was a stunning brain-freeze decision! What were they thinking!!!
Good thing center has intervened…
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Enigma
January 7, 2021
@ An Jo, NZ has been successful in almost eliminating the virus. They are also extremely careful about letting people from overseas in. I guess that is the reason why things are back to normal within the country. Glad that good sense has prevailed and MHA has struck down TN government’s decision. Hope they are able to implement this MHA directive. Indians are past masters in circumventing laws.
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Enigma
January 7, 2021
@An Jo, just wanted to add that masks have been made mandatory at the SCG. And compulsory social distancing is being ensured by slashing down capacity. It is raining now and we wouldn’t get much play today.
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KadaKumar
January 7, 2021
“Vaathi coming is fine. Virus coming isn’t.”?
and not
“Vaathi coming is fine. Vyaathi coming isn’t.”?
You missed a great punch opportunity here.
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vijay
January 8, 2021
Madan, I am surprised in a pleasant way to hear about the efficacy of the govt. and service provided in your case. Wondering though whether this was an exception or this has been the experience of mostly everybody?
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vijay
January 8, 2021
Ilayathalavali and his father can go to hell. Its bad enough he has found an audience all these years. Could never accept this joker as a star. But then these actors heavily depend on the idiocy of a critical mass of folks in TN. Look at that other fella who pulled out at the last minute. 30 years of making money with a tease here and promise there and still there are idiots who roam the streets trying to coerce him to come back.
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An Jo
January 8, 2021
Kolkata: Movie theatres in Kolkata can operate at 100 per cent occupancy (if Covid safety protocols are followed), Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Friday, as she inaugurated the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival.
Ms Banerjee’s decision to fully re-open theatres in the city comes a day after the centre directed the Tamil Nadu government to cancel a similar order, reminding the ruling AIADMK (an ally of the BJP) that cinema halls remained restricted to 50 per cent capacity under existing “unlock” rules.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-news-bengal-kolkata-movie-theatres-allowed-100-per-cent-occupancy-mamata-banerjee-2349739?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
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Enigma
January 9, 2021
@An Jo, Mamata Banerjee is even a bigger idiot than the Tamil Nadu clowns.
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