Cine bodies to BMC commissioner: Let us resume work

(From left) Work on Ajay Devgn’s `Mayday` and Taapsee Pannu’s `Shabaash Mithu` will resume only after the units are immunised

On May 31, a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the extension of the lockdown in Maharashtra, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) shot off a letter to the CMO and BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal with a singular appeal. With the city's daily cases dropping below 700, the cine body urged them to allow the resumption of work in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry that has come to a standstill since April 15.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

The letter highlighted that the daily-wage workers have been the worst hit by the shoot suspension, not to mention the producers who have borne massive losses.
JD Majethia, chairman (TV), Indian Film and Television Producers' Council (IFTPC), notes that television producers are eager to resume work in Mumbai as filming in other states has increased their financial strain. "I've been paying the rent for my Wagle Ki Duniya set at Mira Road. There is no relief for [producers] because even if we film outside Mumbai, it only adds to our expenses. We were hoping that shoots will resume by the first week of June, but the lockdown has been extended again," he laments.

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A still from Wagle Ki Duniya

Television's richer cousin, Bollywood, however, doesn't appear to share its urgency. A source from Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan asserts that the team's safety is of prime importance. "With the vaccination drive underway, we may return to shoot only a month later, after every unit member has taken the first dose," says the source.

Alia Bhatt in Gangubai Kathiawadi

Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi is one of the many films that was only days away from the finish line, before the junta curfew disrupted its plans. Going forward, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali can call for lights-camera-action only when the crew is immunised as there are crowd sequences on the cards. A unit hand says, "The sequences require more than 30 dancers. The dancers will receive their vaccines this week. Alia is due to get jabbed later because she recovered from COVID recently. [If we start filming by mid-June], we'll be racing against time as we need to wrap up the project before rains hit the city."

The same dilemma is faced by the makers of Dongri to Dubai, who have an elaborate outdoor set standing at Madh Island. "With Excel Entertainment leading the way for vaccination, the entire crew will be inoculated this week. They should be able to call it a wrap by mid-August," reveals a source. Big-ticket productions that are playing the waiting game include Prabhas's Adipurush, Kumar's Ram Setu, Taapsee Pannu's Shabaash Mithu and Ajay Devgn's directorial venture Mayday.

Also Read: When Bollywood resumes work, makers want stars to do makeup at home