Cinema halls will continue to shutdown in lockdown 4.0 too and it is unlikely that they will resume operations after 31 May as the outbreak of COVID-19 virus is still not under control. Insiders are indicating that a month before the theatres reopen, shootings will resume.

The central government of India also is paying least attention to film industry. As cinema is considered as a source for fun & entertainment, Govt is not keen to push the demands of film industry on priority. Only, the key essentials and daily needs will be allowed during this lockdown and also, there is no full relaxation on public transportation.

The insiders further hint that theatres may restart only from August and the govt has already given few indications to industry. Few producers, who doesn't have clarity over when the lockdown will be lifted, are still waiting for theatrical release. If govt does not allow theatres to reopen till August, several producers will sell their projects to OTT platforms to gain atleast 15-20% over cost of production.

According to some industry reports, the Telangana minister for Cinematography Talasani Srinivas Yadav has directly called some industry producers and advised them to look for alternatives as theatres are unlikely to reopen till August. Given the uncertainty, several producers may go with OTT release.