Nothing beats the magic of theatre: Iqbal Khan

Almost everything has opened up and people are doing everything now. They are eating in restaurants, even street food, going to parks, jogging, gyming, visiting markets, toh theatres ke kya kiya hai?” questions Iqbal Khan, who went to see a film in a theatre recently.

The actor shares that he had a great experience as the theatre owners had taken good care of santisation and social distancing protocols. “Theatre has 50 percent occupancy and one can have a safest and enjoyable experience. They sanitise after every show and don’t allow food in the theatre but one can eat in the food court. Interval is extended so one has enough time. I heard the Hollywood film Tenet’s tickets were sold out for many shows,” says the actor, who starred in a web show, Crackdown, this year and has shot for another one in Mussorie recently.

Ask him if big-budget and star driven films will bring more people back to theatres and he says, “I am a supporter of good films. They will get people in. I would like to add that the joy of watching a film on the big screen in theatres is unparalleled. I saw the trailer of Sooryavanshi and I felt that this is a film I would want to watch in the theatres. We have seen a number of films release on OTT this year and that is great but nothing beats the magic of theatre. You see, while the creative freedom makers get on OTT and the content-driven stuff created for the platform is awesome, cinema is a visual medium and one can only experience that in theatres. To give a film your undivided attention, enjoy the sound and picture quality is unbeatable. Yes, OTT is huge but that won’t diminish the appeal of theatres in the future,” he says.