One of the hallmarks of Deepavali every year is going to the theaters to watch a major Kollywood flick - often starring your favourite hero, released in conjunction with the festival.

However, this year is going to be different - no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Lotus Group founder and chief executive officer R Doraisingam Pillai, no Kollywood movie will be released for Deepavali this year, due to indefinite postponement of major Indian movie releases, due to the pandemic.

This, however, could be a "blessing in disguise", as it could provide a platform for local movie makers to release their movies to a larger-scale audience, he said.

"Local movies have their own fan followings and we Malaysians should support local movies.

"Lotus Five Star (LFS) Cinemas provide full support for local talents and this upcoming Deepavali would be an encouraging platform for our local producers to release their movies to a larger-scale audience," he was quoted telling Bernama in an interview.

Doraisingam, who runs LFS Cinemas, one of the largest cinema chains in Malaysia, said they would continue adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government to stem the spread of COVID-19, by allowing only 100 viewers in a 200-capacity cinema hall.

Meanwhile, Bernama also spoke to Garuna Murthee, the director of LFS Cinemas, who said three local Tamil movies, namely Poochandi, Paramapatham, and Mr Peyi, will be released in conjunction with Deepavali, which falls on Nov 14.

Poochandi will hit the silver screen on Nov 12, while the latter two will be screened on Nov 26 and Dec 17, respectively.

Garuna Murthee said he believes that the cinema industry will bounce back from the setback faced in the COVID-19 era, as many people are still eager, and fond of watching movies in the big screen.


Source: Bernama
Photo source: Astro Awani