Attempts To ‘Malign & Finish Off’ Bollywood Won’t Be Tolerated: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said attempts to “finish off” Bollywood or “to shift it” to some other place will not be tolerated.

During a meeting with multiplex and theatre owners, the Chief Minister said that Mumbai is not only the financial capital of India, but also the entertainment capital.

“Moves to finish off the film industry or shift it elsewhere will never be tolerated,” a statement from the CM’s office quoted Thackeray as saying.

Following Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise, people started calling out Bollywood bigwigs for nepotism and unfair treatment meted out to the outsiders. The film industry has also been slammed for being the centre of drug nexus.

In the wake of such controversies, Thackeray said, “Bollywood enjoys a following across the globe. The film industry generates huge employment. In the last few days, attempts have been made to malign the image of the film industry by certain quarters, which is painful.”

The CM also informed cinema and multiplex owners that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding reopening of cinema halls has been prepared by the state culture department.

“The government is positive about it. Entertainment industry is a means to boost the state’s economy and the government is keen to restart it,” said the CM.

“In a cinema hall, people are in one room for nearly two hours and hence we want to ensure complete cleanliness and sanitization as well as physical distancing. There is a need to ensure that only 50 per cent seats are occupied,” he added.

Recently, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh announced a plan to create a film city in that state to woo filmmakers.