Will Shoots Finally Resume Now? Outcome of Producers & Broadcasters Meet With CM Thackeray Is Out

Apart from the deadly disease that is coronavirus, the spiralling effect of the same has been the financial meltdown for multiple industries, especially entertainment.

Owing to shoots being shut down for almost 2 months now, loss of jobs, delayed payments, constant financial losses have been apparent and prevalent than ever.

 A virtual meeting recently happened with a close-knit group of producers and broadcasters with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray.

The meeting, organised by the Indian Broadcasters Federation, was attended by NP Singh, Puneet Goenka, K Madhavan, Rahul Joshi, J D Majethia, Nitin Vaidya, Ekta Kapoor and Deepak Dhar, among others.

According to a report in Times of India, Producer-actor JD Majethia, the chairman of the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (TV and Web Division), told, “As producers, we highlighted the loss of jobs and the fatigue that is setting in with reruns on TV. Now that Kerala and Karnataka are on the verge of resuming shoots in their states, we could also look at rebooting operations. On his part, the CM voiced his concerns about red zones in the state. He was clear that the sets should not be anywhere near residential areas. He has set up a team that will examine all the locations that are currently under our consideration. Observing social distancing regulations and following the health advisories will be a must for us, which we have assured him of. All the affiliated organisations for technicians, actors and workers have formed a consolidated list of standard operating procedures, a part of which has already been shared with the CM. The remaining will be submitted next week. We also talked about setting up monsoon sheds for the sets and fire safety preparations before any shoot commences.”

Producer Nitin Vaidya, who has been a part of both the meetings held with Uddhav Thackeray, added, “Discussions have also been held about starting post-production work with safety measures in place. The CM is clear that the entertainment capital must get back on its feet and he does not want any producer to head out of the state to commence shooting. He is geared up to help us in every way possible. He has already initiated the process by putting a team in place to help us find a workable solution to our issues.”

We hope things are solved keeping all interests in mind.