By Renuka Dhakal
Kathmandu, July 24: With the government decision to lift the 120-day lockdown from Tuesday night, the hustle and bustle of people has begun in the city.
However, the film industry continues to remain deserted as the government has not taken any decision to resume its operation.
In this regard, president of the Film Artistes Association of Nepal (FAAN) and actor Rabindra Khadka said, “We are hopeful that the government will allow the resumption of the film industry from next month.”
“We want the film industry start soon, but, looking at the situation, I am saddened that the situation has worsened since the lockdown ended,” he added.
Social distancing has not been maintained, the public buses are full of passengers and the people are not taking preventive measures, he added. Stating that the government would also suffer from the non-operation of the film industry, he said that the cinema sector had also been a good tax-collecting sector for the government.
“The government has decided not to open the film industry immediately with some thought, therefore, the Film Artistes Association is not in favour of forcing the government to open the film industry immediately because the people first need to be aware about the risk of COVID – 19,” Khadka said.
On the other hand, actress Pooja Sharma is not happy with the government’s decision not to allow the resumption of the film industry.
She questioned through her social media account Facebook, how serious they were about opening the film industry.
With the market opening and with the public vehicles allowing to resume their services, the government has announced an end to the lockdown, but neither the government nor the film industry leadership is now working for a smooth operation of the film industry.
She further questioned should the Indian film industry be opened to open it in Nepal? “Don’t we have a separate film industry? This is a serious question whether we can move forward Nepali film by ourselves.”
Pooja has also urged all filmmakers to discuss the issue and exert pressure on the government to keep the film industry afloat, with arrangements to remain safe from coronavirus. China has already given permission for the operation of the hall and news reports had it that more spectators were visiting the cinemas.
Now everyone in Nepal is excited to see when the film industry will be allowed to run smoothly and how will be the participation of the viewers in the movie theatres.