With the announcement of the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, the theatres in Kerala reopened today (January 13) with Vijay's Tamil movie ‘Master’. As per the COVID-19 protocols, the theatres will only have 50% occupancy, a measure suggested by the Union government. With no early morning and night shows, the first screening started at 9 a.m in the state.

The theatres in Kerala, had remained shut since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown. In a move to help the film industry in the state, it was on Monday the Kerala government decided to waive entertainment tax for cinemas from January to March. Also, the government announced a 50 per cent reduction in the fixed charges on electricity during the lockdown period since March last year.

As the Government addressed all the concerns of the film industry and theatre associations, several celebs thanked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for showing special interest and favorable stand in reviving the industry. From top actors Mammootty and Mohanlal to Tovino Thomas and Nivin Pauly, many celebs took to their social media handles to thank the Chief Minister.'

On the other side, Jayasurya's 'Vellam' will be the first Malayalam movie to release post covid pandemic. The Prajesh Sen directorial will hit the bigscreens on January 22.