Clara Lewis (THE TIMES OF INDIA; June 1, 2020)

Mumbai: It will soon be lights, camera, action in Bollywood again. But the new scene promises to be vastly different: No more star tantrums or open calls—everyone will now have to be compulsorily assigned a window to arrive; also, there can’t be senior citizens (above 65) or more than 33% of crew members on a set at a time. These are among the many conditions laid down by the state government as it allowed the entertainment industry to resume operations.

A government resolution issued on Sunday made it clear that the industry that employs almost five lakh people will have to drastically downsize, except of course, without pruning the main cast of a movie.

Makers of films and TV shows will have to obtain myriad permissions from police and district authorities before they can start shooting. While casting for families, real families should be used so that physical contact is restricted. For fiction/non-fiction scenes, no audience is to be allowed; castings wherever possible are to be done via Facetime, Zoom, Skype, etc.

Bollywood will have to do away with elaborate sequences like marriages, markets, melas, and even fights, till the Coronavirus threat subsides. All crew members who handle equipment should bring their own gear—not even a pen can be shared.

The resolution also states that actors should consider showing up after doing their own makeup/hair styling. They will be allowed only one person as support staff on sets. All trials and fittings are to be done at home and everyone must carry home food.

In case of secondary/ back-up actors, the industry has been advised to avoid hairdos and makeup. Every actor should carry his or her own hard copy of script and discard it after use.

Extras are to be kept to the minimum. In case of crowd management, sourcing of new outfits and costumes is to be avoided. “Either existing costumes are to be used or they can bring them from their personal wardrobe,” states the resolution.

An employee who is pregnant or whose spouse is pregnant is not to be allowed on sets; likewise, children below the age of 10 and people above 65. Ashoke Pandit, chief advisor, Federation of Western India Cine Employees, said it was a start, but the age limit of 65 would be difficult to implement. “How do you ask an actor like Amitabh Bachchan to sit home or a David Dhawan not to direct a film?”

Also, it would be difficult to station an ambulance, a doctor and a nurse at every shoot since at least 70 shoots happen daily in the city. The television industry works between Borivli to Naigaon, said Pandit.

Birendra Nath Tiwari, federation president, said 80% of the staff who work on daily wages have left the city. “Film shooting will not be the same, but it is a start and we thank the CM for allowing the industry to reopen. By the time permissions come and the conditions met, we should be able to make a start by June 18-19,” he said.
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Work is allowed in non-containment zones and with certain conditions
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 1, 2020)

After over two months of lockdown, the entertainment industry is ready to get back to work. Shooting of films, TV and digital series will be allowed in non-containment zones in Maharashtra in the latest phase of the lockdown with certain conditions, as per an order issued by the state government on Sunday. Issuing a Government Resolution (GR), the Cultural Affairs Ministry said that producers will have to conduct pre-production and post-production works by adhering to the guidelines laid down by the government. “Violation of the rules will lead to stopping of the work,” it said.

Producers will have to apply to managing director of the Maharashtra Film, Theatre, Cultural Development Corporation, the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon, Mumbai, and to district collectors outside Mumbai to resume shoots.

Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) chairman J D Majethia, who was a part of the May 22 virtual meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, said, “We had requested the CM to start shoots at the earliest with SoPs in place. His team worked hard and here we are. Today, we will organise meetings with producers, broadcasters and trade bodies to kick off work as soon as possible. We’d like to thank the CM on behalf of the industry for such a proactive decision. We met him on May 22, and got an order on May 31. This development will give hope to people.”

B N Tiwari, President, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), added that the industry bodies have been instructed to resume work by strictly following the prescribed safety guidelines and SoPs, which include working with only 33 per cent of the crew, while future shoots in Goregaon’s Film City will require permission from the state government. “As long as we adhere to social distancing, maintain hygiene and honour curfews, I don’t think there will be any problem,” he assured.

Meanwhile, a similar order is awaited by the Telugu film industry. Hyderabad-based veteran producer, distributor and studio owner Suresh Babu said, “We got indications that we can start in another week or two, but we know there will be restrictions, like reduced size of units and using personal transport. Safety and hygiene need to be maintained, so we may need to set the lights in the set a day before to avoid crowding during the shoot.”

Considering that some multiplex chains have come out with SoPs incorporating social distancing by keeping alternate seats vacant, Suresh Babu reiterates that the theatrical market will shrink. “We definitely know that the post-Covid world will not be the same as before. In international territories, where cinemas have opened, the collections are low. When they open in India, we have to start looking at new models,” he says, adding that he feels theatres in India should open two-three months after shooting starts and not in phases.

He explains, “Theatres should open all across the country simultaneously. Even regional cinema depends on other states for some part of the revenue. People go to cinemas for good content. Once shooting resumes, people will be confident of content being made for them to watch in the theatres. Also, if all seats are not going to be available for public, good content won’t become sacrificial lambs. Unlike in international markets, there’s no government support for cinemas here. Unless government gives power subsidy and reduces GST (Goods and Services Tax) in the initial phase when cinemas open, operating for lesser seats sold will be disastrous. If I open a cinema in such conditions, I will lose further. If films don’t do well theatrically in such situations, then more will go to the OTT platforms.”
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Maharashtra government lays down stringent guidelines for shootings to resume in Mumbai; Bollywood and television producers welcome the move
Uma Ramasubramanian, Dharmendra Jore (MID-DAY; June 1, 2020)

Even as the country enters the fifth phase of lockdown today in its battle against COVID-19, the entertainment industry can heave a sigh of relief. Following the two-month-plus industry shutdown, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday, greenlit the resumption of film, television and OTT shoots amid stringent regulations.

The state government issued a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), titled Guiding Principles to Restart Entertainment Industry in Maharashtra, for conducting shoots hereon. Among the new rules, producers who wish to conduct shoots in Mumbai will have to seek permission from the managing director of Maharashtra Film, Theatre and Cultural Development Corporation (Film City). Those planning a schedule across other cities or districts in Maharashtra will have to procure permission from the collector of the concerned district.

The on-set SOPs are a combination of the guidelines that had been proposed by the Producers' Guild and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). In one of the most important regulations, the state government suggested that the on-set crew should be minimised to 33 per cent of the original strength. The presence of an ambulance, a doctor and a nurse has been made compulsory on every set, as is the monitoring of temperature of every member.

The decision brought in a wave of cheer in the entertainment industry that has been reeling under the shutdown that was implemented on March 19. With this move, several films — including Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi, Salman Khan's Radhe and Ajay Devgn's Maidaan — that had been abruptly called off, can go on floors again.

J D Majethia, chairman, television & web, Indian Film & Television Producers' Council, says, "I want to thank Uddhav ji on behalf of the entire entertainment industry. We had a Zoom meeting on May 22, and here we are today! He has accelerated the process [to restart the entertainment industry]. Now, it is our turn to be responsible and not to disappoint our government."