Covid-19 Hit India Hard, Including Film Industry -- Actor Sarath Kumar

By V.Sankara KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- Every industry in India is facing one of its biggest ‘crisis’ in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the film industry being no exception in this regard, said actor turned politician R. Sarath Kumar. He said the world economies are taking a hit, and various sectors in the country are feeling the effects of the global pandemic. “The country, the state and the entire world is going through a crisis and there is a major economic setback, and the film industry is no exception in this regard,” he told Bernama when contacted. Sarath Kumar, who was former president of the South Indian Film Artistes' Association, said the global pandemic has hit hard the Indian film industry in general, where it is facing one of its biggest ‘crisis’ which witnessed cancellations of film shootings and postponement of movie releases. He said this has put hundreds of thousands of businesses at stake besides affecting the livelihood of daily wage earners in the industry. “The Tamil film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu has also felt the pinch when theatres were unable to screen films. “Major movie releases (are) postponed indefinitely as a result of the nationwide lockdown in India, which is in its third extension until May 17,” he added. The actor said since theatres are being closed in view of the lockdown, many people in India decided to watch movies through the small screen such as Direct-to-Home (DTH) television platform, which might have an adverse impact on the income of theatre owners. He also felt that the television industry will bounce back faster than the cinema after the lockdown since the operating structure for television is far simpler than the cinema. “Even if the overall lockdown is lifted, theatres will be the last one to open as it is typically crowded and difficult to maintain social distancing,” he said. The former journalist, however, felt that the entire supply chain within the Indian film industry will be back on track within 3 to 6 months’ time. Commenting on his future projects, Sarath Kumar said his next project will be a film titled ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, based on the popular Tamil epic novel of the same name and directed by critically acclaimed director Mani Ratnam, besides venturing into Tamil web-series – a scripted online video generally in episodic form released on the internet. Asked on his daily routine in view of the lockdown, he said he has been busy experimenting with his cooking abilities at home besides keeping busy at his home-based gymnasium and attending to political matters. On his advice to his Malaysian fans, the former bodybuilder advised his fans to stay fit and healthy by doing home-based exercises to increase immunity to fight COVID-19. “Please keep yourself physically and mentally fit besides maintaining a healthy and balanced diet … that is very important. “History has taught us how the Japanese bounced back after the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki with their physical and mental strength, and we can do the same,” said the actor. -- BERNAMA