Over the past few weeks, Maharashtra has witnessed an alarming surge in Coronavirus cases and several television artistes are among those who have tested positive. The latest to test positive for COVID-19 is Anupamaa’s Rupali Ganguly, who plays the title role. With the situation spiraling out of control, producers are ensuring that stringent safety measures are in place. Apart from following norms like wearing masks, social distancing and regular sanitisation, they have come together with new ways to curb the spread. This includes minimising outdoor and night shoots, and crowd sequences.

J D Majethia, producer and chairman of Indian Film and Television Producers’ Council (IFTPC), says, “At the moment, we are following guidelines and restrictions, which were issued in May 2020. We are waiting for the government to make announcements. Meanwhile, producers are trying to shoot between 7 am and 8 pm. We will shoot at night only if it’s absolutely necessary, which is mostly the case with crime shows. We will also try to avoid outdoor shoots and scenes that require large crowds, as much as possible.”

Producer Benaifer Kohli says that she has become “stricter on the sets”. “We have cut down on unit hands. In any case, we had stopped shooting crowd sequences and night shoots long ago. Over the past one year, we might have had just one outdoor shoot,” she says.

Producer Amir Jaffar points out that maintaining social distance is challenging at times. “A few months ago, when COVID-19 cases began to drop, we were hoping that normalcy would be restored gradually. Though we were taking precautions, complacency had begun to set in. For example, the crew size was restored. Now, the second wave has hit everyone hard. Wearing masks and using sanitisers are easy to implement, but it’s tough to expect people to follow social distancing constantly because of the nature of our work,” he says.

So, what’s the solution? “PPE kits will have to be reintroduced for people working in close proximity with each other. It’s a challenge to work in them in summer, but we’ll have to deal with it. Another good idea would be to hire a supervisor, whose only job would be to monitor everyone and call out those who are not following the rules. We can even start to fine people for every violation,” he replies.

Producer Rajan Shahi shares, “The production team reminds the cast and crew about following safety protocols at regular intervals because it’s human to forget wearing masks or sanitising hands at times. We have taken every precaution, be it temperature checks, regular sanitisation, fumigation or social distancing. After every scene, the actors are asked to sanitise their hands. As much as possible, we shoot scenes that require the presence of fewer unit members. We also prepare kadha four times a day on the set of all our shows. The pandemic has taught me that nothing is more important than health, and so, I have encouraged all unit members to follow a fitness regimen as well.”

The makers feel that the unit should be administered vaccines so that they are safe. J D Majethia says, “We are encouraging vaccination for people above 45 years of age and those with comorbidities. We are speaking to hospitals to facilitate their vaccination and also plan to write to the government to prioritise jabs for people working on the sets.”

Producer Amir Jaffer adds, “No one knows what’s going to happen. We can only take precautions and hope for the best. The vaccination drive needs to be intensified. I am glad that the Maharashtra government is not planning another lockdown, but it needs to implement more restrictions.”

— With inputs by Saptaparna.Biswas@timesgroup.com

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Despite all precautions followed on set, 18 crew members from Dance Deewane 3 tested COVID-19 positive. Reportedly, producer Arvind Rao arranged for a new set of people to replace those who were infected, to keep the show going.