The title Corona Pyaar Hai is among the first to be registered by a filmmaker
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 15, 2020)

In the midst of all the panic about Coronavirus around the world, and now in India, some of our Bollywood filmmakers have wasted no time in grabbing the word ‘corona’ for their future movie titles. While we have seen several memes on social media where ‘corona’ has been used in Bollywood film titles for humour, we have learnt that a film title has actually been registered, giving a funny twist to the Hrithik Roshan’s 2000 superhit, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. It is Eros International that has gone ahead and registered Corona Pyaar Hai as a film title.

A source from IFTPC (Indian Film and Television Producer Council) informed that the production house registered Corona Pyaar Hai as their film title last week. When we contacted producer Krishika Lulla, she confirmed the news saying, “We are planning a love story set against the backdrop of the epidemic. Currently, we are fine-tuning the script and are waiting for the situation to normalise, as things have come to a standstill now. Once everything is normal, we will start the project.”

Another film body, IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association), too, confirms that they have also witnessed film producers rushing in to register coronabased film titles. “We have already registered one called Deadly Corona,” informed a source.

Even in the past, it has been seen that filmmakers have made a beeline to get titles registered based on real-life events and catastrophes. At the time when Article 370 was revoked, film associations had reportedly received requests for registering titles like Article 370, Kashmir Hamara Hai, Article 370 Abolished and Kashmir Mein Tiranga among others. Similarly, following the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strike, titles like Abhinandan, The Air Strike Of Pulwama, India Strikes Back and Surgical Strike 2.0 were quickly registered by filmmakers keen on making movies on these subjects.