Visakhapatnam: A challenging phase for allied sectors of entertainment industry

Visakhapatnam: The coronavirus pandemic has left a scar on various sectors. Though each sector is gradually returning to normalcy, the allied sectors of the entertainment industry are yet to overcome the pandemic-induced challenges even when the outbreak is receding.

Despite the government's permission to reopen the cinema halls during unlock 5, there is not much difference for those eking out a living, depending on the entertainment industry.

Of all, the worst affected are the ones who are largely dependent on the cinema screening. For close to seven months, sweepers, helpers and snack vendors, light boys, booking clerks, operators, boys collecting parking tickets, theatre managers and other staff working in movie theatres find it difficult to sustain.

This is basically because over 90 per cent of the cinema halls are yet to resume operations.

Each theatre will have over a dozen supporting staff working in different sections. Since most of them are unskilled, they are not able to get an alternative source of income, especially during the pandemic. Currently, a few of them are working as helpers in other sectors. Though some of the theatre operators are able to pay 50 per cent of their salaries, a majority of the helping staff fail to receive even that. "At present, it is a hand-to-mouth existence for us as we are able to get rice from the ration depot and manage with our halved salaries. But apart from our basic needs, it is difficult to spend even a meager amount for any other purpose," rues D Gurumurthy, who is working as sweeper at Sri Narasimha Theatre.

With paused productions, theatre operators do not foresee any great business in near future. "Till January, there are no high-budget movies hitting the theatres. At present, not even half the capacity is being filled in cinema halls. The income thus earned is insufficient even to meet the power bills," explains K Vijay Kumar, Sowjanya theatre manager.

Given the current situation, not many theatre operators look forward to a full-fledged functioning of the cinema halls at least till January. "While we are suffering from lack of work in the theatres, getting employed elsewhere in times of the pandemic is another problem we come across. With OTT platforms ruling the roost, our future appears to be bleak," says G Venkaiah Dora, a booking clerk at the theatre.

Film experts opine that unless all the cinema halls in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana resume their operations, the big budget movies cannot be released. Until then, the theatre operators along with the snack vendors, helpers and booking clerks will find it difficult to emerge from the crisis.