Small Screen, Big Locha

As movies release directly on streaming platforms during the lockdown, theatre owners seethe and threaten ‘retributive’ measures

- Giridhar Jha

THE week around Eid ul-Fitr is a carnival for multiplexes teeming with movie buffs united by their shared love for Salman Khan. Undeterred by an overnight hike in ticket prices, they wait for their turn to see their beloved Bhai—as the 54-year-old star is known among his die-hard admirers—unleash magic yet again on the big screen. But as fate would have it, there is no activity at all now, let alone celebrations, at multiplexes, just a deathly silence. Reeling under the impact of extended lockdowns, theatres across the country have been wearing a desolate look shorn of glitz for more than two-and-a-half months. Worse still, there are no signs of things looking up anytime soon.

This unexpected twist was not there in the original B-town script until March this year when everything looked hunkydory on the business front. With Akshay Kumar setting up a clash of titans by opting for an Eid release of his eagerly-awaited Laxmmi Bomb on May 22 alongside Salman’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, multiplex owners seemed to be in for a double delight.

Almost all of Salman’s Eid releases were mega blockbusters, creating a record enviable enough to deter the biggest of his competitors. However, buoyed by his recent successes, Akshay dared to grab a slice of Salman’s box-office pie on Eid. It was, of course, a win-win situation for multiplex owners, who looked forward to the imminent showdown between two of the biggest superstars with bated breath, little realising what was in store for them in the weeks ahead.