Our ‘Dhai kilo ka haath’ man Sunny Deol has made the headlines yet again, and this time it is for his commendable deed. While audiences might be excited over the recent announcement made by the government regarding the 100% occupancy rule in theatres, few know that Sunny Deol played a pivotal role in making this happen.
Sources revealed, “It was Sunny Deol who led the delegation from the film industry and met Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India, Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Amit Khare, Secretary, I & B Ministry and Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, a few days back. He requested them to consider the request for allowing theatres to function at greater than 50% occupancy, and preferably at 100% itself,” informs our source. “He was joined by Kamal Gianchandani, President, Multiplex Association of India, Sanjeev Bijli, MD PVR and Nitin Tej Ahuja, CEO of The Producers Guild of India,”
They further explained the situation stating that the entire exhibition sector was facing losses as it wasn’t feasible for producers to release their films at the 50% occupancy rule in theatres. Considering the fact that everything else has been normalised by now, from restaurants to clubs, it was only sensible to allow theatres to operate at 100% occupancy.
The source added, “The Ministers were kind enough to patiently listen to the argument and assured Sunny sir that they would take this into consideration and pass on a resolution soon,” our source continues. “At the end of the day, the whole movie business helps everyone in the supply chain. It is only going to help the economy further as the money generated by sales of movie tickets keep the business going for one and all,”
Within 72 hours of this meeting’s happening, the results on the matter were announced. The government took the decision of allowing a 100% occupancy, after which the ruling was drafted.
President of Multiplex Association of India, Kamal Gianchandani stated, “On behalf of all MAI (Multiplex Association of India) members, I would like to thank Shri Sunny Deol ji for his tireless and unwavering efforts in getting back the 100% capacity for cinemas. His leadership, combined with his commitment to serve the best long term interest of the entire filmed entertainment sector, has played a vital role in putting the film industry back on the path to recovery and growth. I am confident that film industry community will continue to benefit from his valued leadership and counsel.”
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