MUMBAI: In a show of support for theatrical releases, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan visited a suburban theatre to watch Manoj Bajpayee and Diljit Dosanjh-starrer "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari".
In a video message ahead of the screening on Tuesday, Khan said he was excited to witness the "big screen experience".
"During the lockdown, we were all watching movies on our laptops, so I'm really looking forward to the big screen experience," the actor, who was accompanied by his daughter Ira, said.
"I have been hearing good things about this film, 'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari'. People have been praising Diljit and Manoj's performances. So all the very best to the entire team and to all the theatres that have opened up. Stay safe," he added.
Khan's gesture was appreciated by leading distributor Akshaye Rathi, who owns eight theatres in Maharashtra, and Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of PVR Pictures.
"Welcome back to your home! @aamir_khan. The silver screen is where you belong! #ChaloCinema" tweeted Rathi.
Gianchandani said, "Look forward to having you over @_PVRCinemas."
"Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari", which released on November 15, also stars Fatima Sana Shaikh, who worked with Khan in 2016 blockbuster "Dangal" and later in "Thugs of Hindostan", which released in 2018.
Set in the '90s, "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" is billed as an unlikely comedy about a wedding detective on a hunt which turns into a chase game.
The Centre had allowed reopening of theatres and multiplexes on October 15, and halls in several places, including Delhi and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, resumed functioning in accordance with the new normal.
But states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Chhattisgarh remained closed.
On November 5, the Maharashtra government finally allowed cinema halls, multiplexes and drama theatres outside containment zones to restart operation with 50 per cent seating capacity and a host of dos and don'ts, including ensuring physical distancing, sanitisation and no eatables allowed.
The decision came as a relief for the business that was crippled due to the lockdown in March to contain the spread of COVID-19.