Does anyone remember announcement of Amma theatres?

Chennai: In 2014, the State government announced setting up of Amma cinemas to screen Tamil movies at subsidised rates.

The Chennai Corporation had announced then that it would set up these theatres in vacant places belonging to it to ensure cost-effective and affordable entertainment to film-lovers.

Four years have gone and the announcement is still on papers and little has been done to fulfil the promise.

Speaking to ‘News Today’, sources in the Corporation say that they had initially planned to convert two of the civic body’s air-conditioned meeting halls in the city as ‘Amma Theatres’.

“And in the second phase, vacant lands were to be identified for setting up cinema halls across the city. With ticket prices in normal theatres being high, people welcomed the proposal. But years have passed and the project remains a non-starter due to lack of co-ordination between the Corporation and the Sate government.’

At the inauguration of a shooting floor named after MGR in Paiyanur near Chennai Sunday, representatives from the Tamil film industry made an appeal to Chief Minister Edappadi K Ppalaniswami to resume work towards setting up Amma Cinemas.

They said,”With cinema witnessing threat from piracy and footfalls coming down in theatres and multiplexes due to increase in ticket prices, efforts like setting up Amma Cinemas would bring more crowd to theatres and the industry will eventually prosper.”

After the announcement in 2014, it took almost two years for Corporation officials to rope in National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) as consultant and they sought a detailed project report from them. Sources say that all works stalled after this.

When contacted, officials in NFDC said that they were no longer part of the project. However Corporation officials say that the scheme is not shelved but put on hold for lack of funds.

Industry sources say that the process is cumbersome. The mini theatres that they proposed to set up should be digitally update. The process of screening movies and business modalities have changed a lot. They should have a professional body to run the affairs, they add.

Remember in 2014 after the announcement, a section of social activists were against the project. They said that small playgrounds, if set up, will help people than theatres which will serve only limited purpose.

Raveendran, a political analyst says,”Forget Amma Cinemas, a slew of other schemes named after Amma were announced in 2014. Amma women’s hostels for those visiting the city for various purposes, including education, business and interviews, were proposed. They also announced establishing Amma weekly markets in 200 wards to serve basic needs of the people and the markets will also sell food items prepared by self-help groups, prisoners, Corporation and government undertakings. But nothing has taken off.”