05 May,2021 07:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Till mid-April, the vanity vans were being used on the sets
On April 20, mid-day had reported that over 10 vanity vans in Mumbai had been put in the service of frontline workers, especially cops. In the fortnight since, Ketan Rawal, one of Bollywood's biggest vanity van suppliers, has ensured the vehicles serve a larger purpose instead of gathering dust amid the suspension of shoots. Rawal, who owns almost 50 vehicles, has sent 10 more to the NESCO COVID Centre in Goregaon so that doctors can change, have meals and use the restrooms during their long shifts.
Before the junta curfew was imposed in the state in mid-April, about 35 to 40 vans were deployed across different locations in the city as Ranveer Singh's Cirkus, Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan, Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi and Sushmita Sen's Aarya 2 were being shot. As the entertainment industry ground to a halt, Rawal wasted no time in redirecting his resources to the medical sector, free of cost. "Last year, we saw how the cops were struggling [during their long working hours]. So, when the lockdown was announced this time around, we knew we had to help as many people as we could," he states.
Now that cases have begun dipping in the city, he has reached out to medical associations in Ahmedabad and Baroda, suggesting that the vehicles be used as makeshift treatment facilities. "We have 50 vans available in the city, but right now, Gujarat needs us. I have spoken to Dr Kirit Gadhvi, [secretary] of Ahmedabad Medical Association. [The city is grappling with] a shortage of ICU and beds. Each van has isolation space for three patients. So, even if we send over 10 vans, we're enabling the treatment of 30 patients." The entrepreneur will deploy his vans after he gets clarity from the medical associations today.
Rawal adds that there has been little progress on the production front, with some projects being filmed outside Maharashtra in a bio-bubble.
