From the heart of cinema

By Hritvik Aggarwal

Hey! I am a happy and cheerful branch of PVR Cinemas. I reside in Fun-City Mall, New Delhi. I am the hotspot of the area and people love to spend time with me along with their near and dear ones.

I provide happiness to everyone, bring a smile to the saddened and those who are annoyed. I used to blossom at each and every special occasion people have. I also gave employment to people who handle eateries.

But it’s rightly said that time doesn’t always remain the same. The Coronavirus pandemic made this place gloomy. It changed my destiny and of those who used to visit me. For the safety of my people, I remained locked away for an uncertain period of time.

Along with me, many employees lost their livelihood for months. The pandemic stayed for almost a year and then came a ray of hope. Truly said, ‘It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever’, and my gates were opened up once again for people. Some staff members continued to relentlessly work with me and displayed great zeal and enthusiasm. It seemed like everything was back to normal and the traces of the virus were almost gone.

But soon, the virus re-appeared, more evil and deadly this time. With this new variant, I heard my owner say to his wife, “Dear, I think I will have to shut this theatre now. I cannot bear the losses any further. Our other three cinemas are doing well. Let’s just say goodbye to this one.”

I could not bear this trauma, but soon I was permanently shut.

(The write-up is inspired from life, and borrows from my own experience. It is disheartening that the doors of my favourite cinema hall are now closed)