More theatre-owners defy moratorium

More theatre-owners defy moratorium
Times of India

Bangalore: With no end in sight to the three-week moratorium controversy, more theatre owners have decided to defy it and release new non-Kannada films on Friday.

Consequently, Hindi film Hulchul, released last week nation-wide, and Hollywood movie Ocean’s 12 will hit the screens across Karnataka on Friday.

“There are three reasons for us to terminate the moratorium: legal complication, mounting revenue loss and end of the trial period of the gentleman’s agreement,’’ theatre owners said on Thursday.

As per the ‘gentleman’s agreement’, the threeweek moratorium was to be implemented on an experimental basis for two months, which ended on Dec 8. The theatre owners on Wednesday met deputy CM Siddaramaiah and explained their decision to terminate the moratorium.

They are backed by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, which on Thursday urged the government to convene a meeting of a power panel on films. “Since the gentleman’s agreement was reached in the presence of DyCM, it has to be terminated at the government level,’’ KFCC sources stated. Movies for release: A battery of films is lined up for release next week. Two Hindi films — Rok Sako To Rok Lo and Musafir — scheduled for release on Friday, would be screened next week (Dec 17). On the same day, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Swades and its Tamil version Desham will be released. Other films in the line are: Vijayendra Verma; Mass; Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon, Rain Coat and Dil Maange More .