'Cinema theatres will never die': Makshika Films co-founder Gaurav Kaushal

In March 2020, almost the entire world faced a lockdown situation because of the rapid spread of the dangerous Covid-19 virus. Like most other things, movie theatres were compelled to shut down. Even when other businesses opened up after a couple of months, theatres were not allowed to operate again. Though the theatres opened up for a short time a year later in March 2021, they largely remain shut for a period of two years.

During this phase, a large number of films ended up getting released on digital streaming platforms. OTT platforms also kept the audience engaged by offering them a plethora of shows across different genres. In a lot of ways, the Covid-19 situation acted as a boon for OTT platforms which grew rapidly in these two years. This made a lot of people believe once theatres open up, they will not be able to compete with OTT platforms and slowly, become extinct.

Dismissing this notion, Makshika Films co-founder Gaurav Kaushal says, “Cinema theatres will never die. They will continue to flourish and always remain relevant. The experience of watching a film on the big screen cannot be replicated by any other medium. Also, you never watch a film alone. Even if you step into a theatre alone, you will eventually watch it with a large group of people. You will be clapping together when the hero says an impact dialogue and shedding tears together during an emotional scene. We often say that watching cinema is a community experience. Today, the only medium that can provide you with that experience is a theatre.”

The decline in the popularity of movie theatres is a notion propelled by the fact many of the films, released in the recent past, have not performed well at the box-office. Many of the high-profile backed by big banners and featuring popular stars like ‘Jersey’, ‘Runway 34’, ‘Heropanti 2’ and ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ have failed to set the cash registers ringing.

Offering an analysis on the same, Gaurav states, “In the last couple of months, well-made commercial films like ‘Sooryavanshi’, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’ have done very well at the box-office. Even ‘RRR’ and ‘KGF 2’, which were South Indian films that were dubbed in Hindi, did exceptional business and emerged as blockbusters. Yes, many films have not worked and the reason behind it is the fact that the audience could not relate to their content. If we put in a lot of thought behind making commercial cinema and offer the audience something fresh, they will definitely come to the theatre.”

Gaurav has launched his company Makshika Films with the aim of high-quality commercial films that appeal to a large audience. The company is currently in the process of producing an adaptation of a French blockbuster. Going forward, the production will strike a balance between adapting international films and producing original content.

(Brand Desk Content)