The intriguing world of filmmaking, known for bringing to screen many apocalyptic scenarios from the realm of science fiction, seemingly has fallen victim to one such crisis itself. In the world’s biggest movie industry, Hollywood, the dominoes are steadily falling as one film after another is pushed to next year in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Major titles such as Fast & Furious 9, Mulan and A Quiet Place II have been affected as the cinema business came to a grinding halt this past weekend.

Meanwhile, closer to home, theater chains were closed all across China following the viral outbreak in that country several months back. Similarly in Pakistan, the exhibition circuit has suspended operations for a three week period, likely to be extended, since February 29. 

All of this uncertainty has left many wondering whether major filmmakers in the country too would be delaying their projects as has happened elsewhere. The concerns are understandable — it’s hard to guess when normalcy will return and when people will feel comfortable going back to crowded movie theaters — if the theaters are even allowed to reopen. Would it be even socially responsible to schedule a release for a major festival such as Eid-ul-Fitr or Eid-ul-Azha, during a period when (hopefully) most of the country would still be in recovery mode?

London Nahi Jaunga delayed?

Galaxy Lollywood spoke to leading star and filmmaker Humayun Saeed who has his much-awaited follow-up project to Punjab Nahi Jaungi, titled London Nahi Jaunga, in the running for Eid-ul-Azha. Saeed stated in light of how the movie business has been hit by the global pandemic, he feels the coming Eid-ul-Azha might not be the most suitable time to release his production.

“Currently we are monitoring as the situation unfolds and becomes more clear, however, I feel that the film exhibition sector will take some time to return to business as usual. In such a scenario, I think it might be a better idea to delay the film.”

The film’s London spell is planned to commence in May with the Pakistan portion already complete. With the post-production happening concurrently, the film’s production schedule is on track for the original release date.

Fizza Ali Meerza is more bullish

Producer Fizza Ali Meerza too has Fahad Mustafa-Mahira Khan tent-poler Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad lined up for Eid-ul-Azha. The project, having wrapped its shooting and currently in post-production, is set to be director Nabeel Qureishi’s take on the masala-action genre. Talking about the prospects of opening a film on Eid following the pandemic, she stated:

“Even if the cinemas are still recovering from the pandemic, the masses would still need entertainment, with cinema offering the most accessible one. Moreover, following the lockdowns, people would be starved of entertainment so I feel the demand will be there. My production is therefore very much on track, as planned, for an Eid-ul-Azha opening.”

Will the bulls or the bears win?

Whether cinema operations resume as expected or not, the coming few months will tell. In the meantime, the entertainment industry like the rest of the world will be monitoring the on-ground developments pretty closely.

If the virus does eventually begin to abate and there’s a vaccination breakthrough, it’s easy to imagine a return of the cinema-going culture, with the audiences feeling comparatively joyful after having spent so much time at home.

But that’s just a fantasy at the moment, the same notion as a quick rebound after the economic downturn, that some bullish analysts are rooting for. Here’s hoping the optimists stand vindicated.