COVID-19: All cinema halls in West Bengal to remain shut till March 31, film shoots suspended

Kolkata, March 18 (IANS): All cinema halls in West Bengal will remain closed till March 31, while film shoots in the state would remain suspended up to March 30 in view of the novel coronavirus threat, various stakeholders announced on Tuesday.

"We have decided that all cinema halls will remain shut till March 31 and the decision will come into effect immediately," an Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) official told the media.

State minister Aroop Biswas announced all shoots have been cancelled till March 30.

The minister, considered the bridge between the government and the film industry, held a meeting with various bodies of artistes, technicians, producers and film channels on the situation.

The EIMPA official said though the industry would suffer huge losses, the priority now was to take all measures to combat the lethal disease.

"There will be huge losses if cinema halls and all film shoots are closed for such a long period, considering the present situation of the Bengal film industry. We will use time till March 31 to find out ways to recover the losses," she said.

Television serials and soaps which do not have fresh episodes ready, will go for repeat telecasts.

The decisions came a day after state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stressed on closing down all cinema halls for the time being to help tackle the Covid-19 threat.

The entire matter would be revisited after Banerjee holds a review meeting on March 30.