India has been in lockdown since March 18, 2020, amid coronavirus pandemic. Showbiz has taken a huge hit and so have theatres which have been shut down amid nationwide lockdown which will go on till May 3. For now, it is unclear whether the lockdown will be extended considering the cases of COVID-19 have increased rapidly. Mumbai’s Gaiety Galaxy owner Manoj Desai recently revealed that he had taken a loan to provide salaries to his employees during this crisis. Hearing this, Akshay Kumar has come forward to help the owner.

Manoj Desai revealed that Akshay Kumar gave him a call a few days ago to offer financial aid in this scenario. He said that it was very kind of him to offer help but added that they have to find a way to sustain. He said that they have managed to collect enough funds in order to pay their staff their salaries for the month. He further said since the lockdown will have long time ramifications on the theatres, they will have to focus on not cutting down salaries of their staff.

Manoj Desai and his business partner Arun Nair had thought of increasing the ticket prices once the lockdown was done but it got extended till May 3. He said that he will head to Maratha Mandir and Gaiety Galaxy to discuss the plans for May and ensure that they don’t have to seek help from the industry.

Desai is also the owner of Maratha Mandir who has screened Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for 25 years. He said that the production house Yash Raj Films has not offered any kind of financial assistance and they can’t go begging and that the production house should have spared a thought.