Theatres and auditoriums will reopen in Maharashtra from October 22, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's office announced on Saturday. Theatres in the state have been shut since April due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Saturday, CM Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting attended by filmmaker Rohit Shetty, Pen Studios Chairman Jayantilal Gada, and other film and theatre representatives. These included Kamal Gianchandani (President of Multiplex Association of India & CEO, PVR Pictures), Alok Tandon (CEO, Inox Leisure Ltd), Devang Sampat (CEO, Cinepolis India), Kunal Sawhney (Chief Operating Officer - Carnival Cinemas) and others.

Soon after, the CMO tweeted that film and drama theatres will reopen in the state of Maharashtra. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is being worked out and will be shared soon.

"Theatres and auditoriums in Maharashtra will open after 22nd October 2021 while observing all COVID safety protocols. SOP is in the works and will be declared soon," the Chief Minister's office tweeted.

Earlier, the Akshay Kumar-starrer film BellBottom and Emraan Hashmi-Amitabh Bachchan-led Chehre were released theatrically in several states of India. Bhavai, an upcoming drama starring Pratik Gandhi, is headed for a big-screen release on October 1.