In Tamil Nadu, for the first week after a new film’s release and on government holidays, permission has been granted for 9 o’clock shows in theaters. However, in theaters across various parts of Tamil Nadu, early-morning shows are now being screened. Government officials are also turning a blind eye to these screenings, which are being shown in violation of the rules.
Until Pongal in 2023, permission was being granted in Tamil Nadu for early-morning and midnight shows. At that time, Vijay’s Varisu and Ajith’s Thunivu were released on the same day. The clashes that took place among fans then, and the death of a fan in an accident, had sparked a major controversy. Following that, the then government refrained from granting permission for early-morning shows for new films.
For new films, a special morning show at 9 a.m. was introduced on request. Accordingly, when a new film is released, the film crew must apply to the government seeking permission for a special screening. The government would review it and grant approval. This practice was changed after the TVK government came to power. New films can be screened as special shows at 9 a.m. for a week after release and on government holidays. Chief Minister Vijay announced that no permission is required for this.
All the associations related to the film industry thanked him for this. However, complaints have arisen that theater owners are violating the rules by using this 9 o'clock screening permission to show early-morning screenings as well.
Speaking to us about this, some social activists said, “The practice of allowing screenings before 9 a.m. in Tamil Nadu was abolished to ensure the safety of fans and to avoid any inconvenience to the public. The TVK government also did not permit screenings before 9 a.m. However, for the big films released over the past two months, they have been screening them before 9 a.m. in various parts of Tamil Nadu. The film Sardar 2, starring Karthi, was screened as early as 5:30 a.m. at a theater in Tirunelveli. They even promoted the theater using influencers. There is a theater owned by the family of Vipin Chakravarthy, the candidate who contested the election on behalf of TVK in Alangulam, Tenkasi. At that theater too, films like Spider-Man and Sardar 2 were screened at dawn. Even in Chennai, some theaters that still had permission for 9 a.m. shows opened screenings at 8 a.m. They all openly sold tickets for these shows online with timed bookings. Yet the authorities took no action. Because of this, for the recently released film Jailer 2, various theaters across Tamil Nadu began screenings as early as 7 a.m. In important places such as Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Coimbatore, Hosur, Trichy, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Tenkasi, online bookings have been opened for 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Sunday, the weekend day. In the theater owned by TVK candidate Vipin Chakravarthy, they have even listed a show for 7 a.m. tomorrow online itself. The theater owners alone cannot be blamed for this.”
Without a decision from the producers and distributors, no theater can screen the film before 9 o’clock. If the producers say that the license in Qube should be opened only at a certain time, the film will reach the theaters only at that time. So, the theaters alone cannot be blamed for this. However, ignoring this violation would set a wrong precedent. Seeing this, others in the industry will also be encouraged to violate the rules easily. The public too will be inconvenienced,' they said.