Government accessibility guidelines for deaf and visually impaired people in cinemas trigger mixed reactions among exhibitors – Exclusive | Hindi Film News
The central government recently issued a notification aimed at allowing deaf and visually impaired people to watch movies in theaters. While the move has been praised for its inclusivity, it has provoked mixed reactions in the exhibition sector.
Speaking to ETimes, Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Cinemas, expressed his positive attitude, saying, “We welcome the government’s initiative as more and more people are participating in movie watching and out-of-home entertainment.” .
“We congratulate the Government of India for promoting inclusivity by introducing accessibility features for the deaf and visually impaired in cinemas. This thoughtful initiative will not only increase accessibility to entertainment; We promote a more inclusive society where everyone can equally enjoy the magic of cinema.” Deepak Kumar Sharma, promoter of Cineport Cinemas.
According to the new guidelines, all feature films certified in multiple languages must comply with accessibility guidelines within six months, while other films have a two-year timeline. These guidelines require at least one accessibility feature for the hearing and visually impaired, including closed captioning and audio description. Motion picture licensees must install customized equipment, mobile apps, or other available technology in their theaters during regular screenings.
Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts acknowledged the costs involved but praised the initiative for making quality films available to special audiences. However, single-screen movie theaters expressed dissatisfaction citing financial constraints.
Acknowledging the positive intentions of the guidelines, Akshaye Rati, a prominent exhibitor, emphasized the need for cost-effective solutions and urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take appropriate measures for seamless implementation. It called for cooperation with institutions and vendors.
“This is a very good initiative by the Ministry of I&B to ensure that theater experiences are accessible to people with disabilities.However, while guidelines have been issued, we recognize the fact that not all exhibitions are The sector has the bandwidth and capital deployment capacity needed to do this, so the Department is working with the right types of agencies to leverage the right technology to make this happen seamlessly and at low cost. We are confident that we will provide you with a cost-effective solution. We are confident that appropriate vendors and partners will be identified, and we hope that all of us exhibitors can make the theatrical experience accessible to young patrons with disabilities. Movie theaters have a huge customer potential to welcome them. We hope that we can all quickly implement the guidelines in a cost-effective manner for the sake of the moviegoing experience,” Rati said.
Nitin Datar, president of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association, expressed concern about the impracticality and cost of implementing the regulations, calling for government investment in all cinemas to support accessibility for specially-abled audiences. asked to do so.
“The new regulations are unrealistic, costly to implement and too cumbersome. The central and state governments should invest money in all theaters to accommodate such audiences. “We truly care about these audiences, but financial constraints are a handicap,” he said. He said.
In response to various opinions, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting plans to set up a committee to monitor the implementation of the guidelines. Additionally, a grievance redressal room will also be set up for viewers to lodge their complaints.
Speaking to ETimes, Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Cinemas, expressed his positive attitude, saying, “We welcome the government’s initiative as more and more people are participating in movie watching and out-of-home entertainment.” .
“We congratulate the Government of India for promoting inclusivity by introducing accessibility features for the deaf and visually impaired in cinemas. This thoughtful initiative will not only increase accessibility to entertainment; We promote a more inclusive society where everyone can equally enjoy the magic of cinema.” Deepak Kumar Sharma, promoter of Cineport Cinemas.
According to the new guidelines, all feature films certified in multiple languages must comply with accessibility guidelines within six months, while other films have a two-year timeline. These guidelines require at least one accessibility feature for the hearing and visually impaired, including closed captioning and audio description. Motion picture licensees must install customized equipment, mobile apps, or other available technology in their theaters during regular screenings.
Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts acknowledged the costs involved but praised the initiative for making quality films available to special audiences. However, single-screen movie theaters expressed dissatisfaction citing financial constraints.
Acknowledging the positive intentions of the guidelines, Akshaye Rati, a prominent exhibitor, emphasized the need for cost-effective solutions and urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take appropriate measures for seamless implementation. It called for cooperation with institutions and vendors.
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Nitin Datar, president of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association, expressed concern about the impracticality and cost of implementing the regulations, calling for government investment in all cinemas to support accessibility for specially-abled audiences. asked to do so.
“The new regulations are unrealistic, costly to implement and too cumbersome. The central and state governments should invest money in all theaters to accommodate such audiences. “We truly care about these audiences, but financial constraints are a handicap,” he said. He said.
In response to various opinions, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting plans to set up a committee to monitor the implementation of the guidelines. Additionally, a grievance redressal room will also be set up for viewers to lodge their complaints.
(Tag Translation) Visually Impaired
