'Master' screening: Police book case against theatre for COVID-19 violation

After people thronged cinemas forpopular Tamil actor Vijay starrer 'Master', police onWednesday booked a case against a theatre here for allegedlyviolating the state government order on permitting only 50percent occupancy during screening of films due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The popular theatre in the city was one among themany in Tamil Nadu where the movie was released coincidingwith the Pongal harvest festival, and is said to have enjoyeda good opening on its first day.

The incident came to light when videos of the crowdswent viral on social media. The MGR Nagar police, whoregistered a case against the theatre management, said apenalty of Rs 5,000 was levied.

The theatre reportedly allowed more viewers to watchthe first big-ticket release since the coronavirus-indcuedlockdown kicked in last year.

Visuals, purportedly from inside the theatre, showedpeople occupying almost all the seats in clear violation ofCOVID-19 regulation like physical distancing.

Many of the viewers in the videos were found notwearing masks.

The much awaited film in which another top actorVijay Sethupathi and Malavika Mohanan play lead roles wasreleased in different states in the country on Wednesday andattracted massive crowds in Tamil Nadu.

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj under Xavier Britto's XBFilm Creators banner, 'Master' has had a phenomenal openingin the state, with fans thronging the cinema halls to watchthe first show of the film in the wee hours, according tosources.