I have always maintained that the film industry is a resilient entity but the challenges it has faced in the past few years have been unprecedented. We were just beginning to enjoy a semblance of normalcy with long delayed films finally finding their  way to the big screen when the  third wave underscored by Omicron arrived.

All hopeful projections of the industry earning close to  2,000 crore in the first quarter have for now been put on hold as theatres are again shutting down or going back to partial capacity in multiple states. Over 20 films, including some big ticket films across industries that were slated for a January release  will most probably be delayed.

It remains to be seen if  the 42 films marked for a theatrical release in the first quarter will be released on the designated dates and if we can go beyond the 2021 earnings  of about Rs 3,700 crore.

Even more concerning are the reports about a single-day spike of 90,928 fresh Covid-19 cases in India with Maharashtra, the hub of Hindi cinema, topping the Omicron tally.  In such a scenario, the pre pandemic numbers that we saw in 2019 (over Rs 11,000 crore) seem unimaginable. But the point, I believe, is that we must not compare where we are today with where we were in the pre pandemic era. We need to ask  whether we are now in a better place than we were in the beginning of the pandemic. And we undeniably are. For one, we are better prepared. We have understood that safety protocols are necessary for uninterrupted schedules. We are  working smarter, conserving resources, finding new, innovative ways to publicize our films, do pre and post production work and take better care of our daily wage workers.

Also all possible doubts about whether big screen entertainment can survive the pandemic and counter the OTT wave, have been laid to rest by the success of many films in the past year both at home and globally. We also have enough content in the pipeline which will sustain theatres as and when they can reopen fully.  We can only hope that there will not be another extended lockdown and if we are responsible enough, there is no reason to believe that there would be.

There are no shortcuts to safety and for sure, working in bubbles, with PPE kits and medical practitioners on board is expensive but working in unsafe conditions can prove to be even more expensive in the long run. I said it before and I am repeating it that the most important thing is the well being of people around you. Even if there is a yellow alert in Delhi, and cinema halls have had to shut down, remember how far we have travelled from the early weeks of the first lockdown when we did not know whether the industry would ever open up. It would however help if theatres were not the first ones to bear the brunt of every new surge as a lot of other public activities are far more chaotic and unsafe than watching films in a sanitized space with social distancing in place.

Still, if we have to lead by example, we must and I have no doubt that despite the losses we have suffered, we will continue to wield immense soft power across the world. Our cinema and music have an indestructible bond with viewers globally  and that is why today a Tanzanian Tik Tok artist has amassed millions of followers by just lip syncing to Hindi film songs,  Berklee College of Music made waves a few years ago by dedicating an entire concert to AR Rahman and our very own Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga,was given the honor of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters at the Embassy of France last year. And I am not even mentioning the extent of love many of our actors command overseas.

I believe with all my heart that despite all our suffering, losses and setbacks, there is light at the end of this dark phase. The show will go on. So will we.

[author title=” Anand Pandit ” image=”http://”]Anand Pandit is a filmmaker, film distributor, and real estate developer from India. Lotus Developers, which creates high-end real estate in Mumbai, Maharashtra, is his company.[/author]