As the Maharashtra CM asks entertainment industry to prepare an action plan to restart work, we talk to filmmakers and find out what the way ahead looks like
Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 24, 2020)

The film and television shooting sets are missing their characteristic lights, camera and action since mid-March, when the nationwide lockdown came into force. But now, there seems to be a glimmer of hope, as Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked entertainment industry representatives and producers to prepare an action plan for limited resumption of film shooting and post-production activities.

But then, a big question that arises: Is it practically possible for a cast and crew of only 30-40 people to manage the work that was earlier done by over 400 of them? Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, for one, feels that we “should patiently wait for another two-three months before thinking of getting back on the sets”.

Ask Zafar why and he says there’s “too much risk”, before explaining, “Even if you shoot with 50-70 people [in total], what if one person gets infected? Then, there are technical issues. How do you shoot scenes without two or more actors being in close proximity? What if the director of photography wants to take a close-up shot? The post-production work, however, can start with precautions and minimum staff.”

A number of films such as Salman Khan’s Radhe, Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, Sanjay Gupta-directed Mumbai Saga, Zafar’s Khaali Peeli, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, had started off, but are stuck at various stages due to the lockdown. “There’s no doubt that the safety of the cast and crew comes first. So, if shootings restart, of course, there will be loads of challenges, but you have to do something and start somewhere. Remember, we’ve daily wage labourers and others whose livelihoods are at stake,” says producer Bhushan Kumar.

Gupta, who has just about three-four days of work left on his film, says he plans to wrap up the film as soon as the lockdown is over. “There are going to be some guidelines, which we all will adhere to. I’ve always said that nowadays, when you walk on a film set, there are just too many people — on an average, 300-350 of them. Now, we won’t have a choice but to go back to the old working style of not having more than 30-40 people. Unfortunately, it means that people such as spot boys, junior artistes and caterers, etc., will be badly hit,” he says.

Kumar opines that if permissions come in, some small films, TV shows or patchwork shoots, which require smaller units, can “possibly start first”. “But big films that require 200 people and big action sequences will have to wait. The post-production work can surely start, since it happens within an office and a controlled environment,” he says.

On a lighter note, Zafar puts things in perspective and says, “The safest way out will be to write Coronavirus-specific scripts... but it will take away the whole fun.”
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Status report
Many multi-starrers and big projects such as Takht, Shakun Batra’s upcoming untitled project, Ayan Mukerji-directed Brahmastra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, Akshay Kumar-starrer Prithviraj, Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan, and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Shamshera, among others, are stuck either due to no-shooting status or post-production work.