Kochi: Theatres in Kerala will be shut down till March 31 due to coronavirus scare. As part of its preventive measures, the government has asked the theatre owners to stop screenings till March 31.
Following the government decision, producers and distributors held a meeting in Kochi and it was decided that the theaters will be shut from Wednesday. However, the release of the movies scheduled to release till March 31 have been indefinitely postponed. They include Marakkar - Arabikadalinte Simham, Kilometers and Kilometers and Vaanku.
In Pathanamthitta, theaters have been shut since Monday.
On Monday, Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas announced that release of his movie Kilometers and Kilometers, which is also his production debut, has been postponed in the wake of the virus outbreak.
Marakkar to affect
While producer Antony Perumbavoor, who heads the Aashirvaad Cinemas, was unreachable for a response, a source close to the film said that the team was in talks. “A meeting will be held on March 16 and an official word regarding the release date will be announced. The chances are likely that the release will be postponed for Vishu in the wake of public demand,” said the source.
Interestingly, Marakkar, made on a mega budget of Rs 100 crore, was supposed to be simultaneously released in China along with other foreign countries. The movie, in fact had scenes in which Marakkar defends the Chinese attacks. These scenes were shot to impress the Chinese audience who enjoy watching period films and sea battles portrayed on the big screen. Reportedly, Aashirvaad Cinemas had opened its office in Hong Kong last year and had blocked many movie screens in China, much before coronavirus broke out there.
Feeling the pinch
Meanwhile, the makers of the movies currently running in theatres are feeling severe impact of the virus outbreak. Released last Friday, Kappela, starring Anna Ben, Sreenath Bhasi and Roshan Mathew, has been fetching wide applauds. But producer Vishnu Venu laments the slow progress of collection. “The first few days were showing tremendous response at the box office. But with the report of people testing positive in Kerala, moviegoers are getting the jitters. It has affected the collections and cinemas,” said Vishnu.
The vacation time is crucial as major Vishu releases are being lined up. With Marakkar likely to be postponed, it could well affect the release of other big movies as well. This includes films like One, Malik, Kurup, Backpackers, Anugraheethan Antony, Padavettu and Chathurmukham. Apart from Malayalam movies, fans are eagerly awaiting Tamil big releases such as Vijay's Masters and Suriya's Soorarai Pottru.
The year opened on a positive note for the Mollywood as Anjaam Paathira turned out to be a blockbuster and movies like Varane Avashyamundu and Ayyappanum Koshiyum also did very well at the box office.
It remains to be seen whether the box office slowdown will turn into a profit for digital platforms.
Shooting of movies at public places too is likely to be affected. “The shooting of Aaravam starring Antony Varghese started at Panachipara near Poonjar and as of now, the scare has not affected the filming,” said PRO A S Dinesh.
The shooting of Madhu Warrier's directorial Lalitham Sundaram is currently progressing at Idukki and the panic in the state has not affected the movie till now. Higuita, starring Suraj Venjaramoodu and Dhyan Sreenivasan, is also under way in Kannur. Tsunami directed by Jr Lal is yet another movie shooting in the outskirts of Kochi
“It is up to the directors and producers to take a call on whether they want to stop shooting for two weeks,” Unnikrishnan B, the general secretary of Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA).
So far, 12 cases of COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in the state with 1,116 under observation.
