Call to Save Single-Screen Cinemas, Demand for New Policy from CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi: There was a time when the faces of Delhi residents would light up as the cinema screen came alive in neighbourhood theatres. Tickets were affordable, entertainment was available close to home, and every week, the areas outside cinema halls would resemble a festive fair. But times changed. The multiplex culture emerged, and before long, hundreds of single-screen cinemas across Delhi were shut down.

Now, demands have been raised to revive these closed-down cinema halls.

Dr. Dayanand Vats, convenor and educationist of the Delhi Single Screen Cinema Audience Forum, has urged Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to formulate a new policy for the renovation and reopening of closed single-screen cinemas in the capital.

Dr. Vats said single-screen cinemas had long been an important source of affordable entertainment for common and economically weaker families. With ticket prices rising at multiplexes, watching a film has become expensive for ordinary families.

He said the government should formulate a policy that enables people to access affordable entertainment close to their homes. He urged the Chief Minister to convene a Cabinet meeting on the issue and take immediate steps towards introducing a ‘Delhi Single-Screen Cinema Policy.’