New-age exhibitor Sushil Chaudhary breaks the dramatic crisis after SRK, Aamir Khan proposes solutions
A few days after superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan suggested building more theaters and offering cheaper tickets to audiences, new era exhibitor Sushil Chaudhary said the Indian drama ecosystem could be restored by focusing on making cinemas more accessible and burdensome, just like him with his mobile digital film theater company.
At the ongoing 2025 Summit, Chaudhary was part of a panel discussion, part of the “Drama Industry and Sparse Film Distribution”, where he reflected on the need to install more cinemas and how he operates models to build inflatable theaters in remote areas where people cannot access the film.
“I’m happy to hear Shah Rukh’s opinion on the need for more cinemas and cheap tickets. Cinemas are all about affordability, accessibility and entertainment. In roti, roti, kapda, kapda, makaan, makaan, Cinema is the basic need. When we build our cinemas, the focus is on keeping the capital cost at Rs 1 crore and in RS 2 laks say say say say say say say say say say say say say said chaudhars, “created & built”, “built”, “built”, “built”, “built”, “built”, “built”.
Chaudhary revealed how he innovatively screened Kabir Khan’s 83 times in Ladakh during the pandemic, and despite a 50% occupancy limit, he attracted audiences. Similarly, in Bommidi, a small town in Tamil Nadu, he set up a screen showing Veera Dheera Sooran in Vikram, which now has over 56% occupancy, highlighting the lasting appeal of cinemas.
“Movies like Pathaan, Gadar 2 and Jawan did very well in our screens in remote regions. Especially Gadar 2, which wasn't promoted that much, but we had more than Rs 5 lakh collection every week from a 140-seater screen. The audience is willing to come. Like in Telangana's Asifabad, which didn't have a cinema hall for over three decades, we installed one during SS Rajamoui's RRR and today the average occupation there is 30 As Shah Rukh said, we need cheaper cinemas so people can access our movies.
In a panel discussion hosted by actor film producer Vivek Vaswani, Chaudhary also highlighted the need for “smart programming” and answered why exhibitors often screen old movies or were eager to show a re-release movie.
“The reason why Cinema Hall owners of Cinema Hall like us screen old movies is that the current distribution system is outdated. Even if the movie doesn't attract audiences, we are forced to play a movie in multiple conditions. So, clever shows are an answer. We re-release old movies to optimize revenue. In Interiors, I've seen viewers watch movies in the audience a few times.
He added: “In the 1980s and 1990s we had 18,000 movie screens and 21,000 running licenses, but then there was a decline. Filmmakers also need to address how to avoid piracy because we lose $3 billion each year due to the $3 billion caused by pirates. The big issues remain accessible, affordability, affordability, affordability, affordability and outreach.”
