The central authorities has not too long ago issued notifications aimed toward guaranteeing the accessibility of movies to individuals with listening to and visible impairments in cinema halls. While this transfer is lauded for its inclusivity, it has sparked combined reactions throughout the exhibition sector.

Kamal Gianchandani, representing PVR cinemas, expressed a constructive stance, instructed ETimes, “We welcome the initiative by the government as it includes a lot of people in moviegoing and out-of-home entertainment.”

“Congratulations to the Indian government for championing inclusivity by introducing accessibility features for the hearing and visually impaired in cinema theatres. This thoughtful initiative not only enhances entertainment accessibility but also fosters a more inclusive society where everyone can enjoy the magic of cinema equally,” said Deepak Kumar Sharma, Promoter, Cineport Cinemas.

According to the new guidelines, all feature films certified in more than one language must comply with the accessibility guidelines within six months, while others have a two-year timeline. These guidelines mandate at least one accessibility feature each for the hearing impaired and visually impaired, including closed captions and audio descriptions. Cinema licensees are required to deploy customized equipment in theaters, mobile apps, or other available technologies during regular shows.

Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts acknowledged the associated expenses but praised the initiative for allowing a special audience to access quality cinema. However, single-screen cinemas expressed dissatisfaction, citing financial constraints.


Akshaye Rathi, a well-known exhibitor, acknowledged the positive intent of the guidelines but emphasized the need for a cost-effective solution, urging the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to collaborate with the right agencies and vendors for seamless implementation.

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“It is a very good initiative by the I&B Ministry to make sure that people who find themselves disabled have entry to the theatrical expertise. However, whereas the rules have been issued, I feel it is very important take cognizance of the truth that not your entire exhibition sector has the bandwidth or capital deployment capability required for this. So, I’m positive the Ministry, together with the correct of businesses, will present a cheap answer powered by the suitable know-how to allow this to occur in a seamless and cost-effective method. I’m very assured that the suitable distributors or companions can be recognized, and I hope all of us exhibitors could make the theatrical expertise accessible for the specially-abled younger patrons. There is a big buyer potential at cinemas to welcome them for the movie-going expertise, and I hope we will all implement the rules very quickly in a cheap method,” Rathi told us.



Nitin Datar, President of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association, voiced concerns over the impracticality and costs of implementing the regulations, calling for government investment in all cinemas to support accessibility for the specially abled audience.

“The new laws are impractical, fairly expensive to implement, and overly cumbersome. The central and state governments ought to make investments cash in all cinemas to cater to such audiences. We genuinely look after these audiences, however we’re handicapped by monetary constraints,” he said.

In response to the varied opinions, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry plans to deploy a committee to monitor guideline implementation. Additionally, a grievance redressal cell will be established for audiences to lodge complaints.