Two standalone theatres to shut down in Chennai?

Threats can be opportunities for a dynamic mind. Yet the unsure nature of the environment in which the major southern film industries are operating makes it difficult for anyone to be sure about things happening as per schedule.

Having battled the video cassette in the 1980s to the smartphone in the new millennium, not to speak of the multiplexes with their sleek projections and crisp popcorns, standalone theatres have bravely kept the show going, literally.

Major film centres like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai have lost more than 50 per cent of the standalone entities over the last three decades and more. With the virus scare showing no signs of abatement, the Tamil media reports that two prominent standalone theatres in the state capital have decided to down their shutters. More details are awaited.