The three big ‘C’s have come back to haunt the entertainment industry — Coronavirus, cancellations and costs. And they’re hitting it hard. Now, with several cities, including Mumbai, Delhi and Noida, announcing night curfews, and some governments opting for weekend lockdowns, things have become grim for the makers.

“Bas wait and watch kar rahe hain,” shares filmmaker Anees Bazmee, whose Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 shoot got stalled when actor Kartik Aaryan tested Covid positive. While shooting of Ram Setu got suspended after actor Akshay Kumar tested positive, Bachchan Pandey shoot is also on hold. The team of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s production Maazi, starring Gajraj Rao, is returning from Ujjain without completing the shoot, while the Rishikesh schedule of Inspector Avinash has got pushed.

“After two delays, the shoot for Inspector Avinash got postponed again this week. At least, 15-20 people in the unit tested positive. My other shoots for two web shows in Mumbai also got pushed,” actor Soundarya Sharma reveals.

Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, says, “It is virtually impossible to go for outdoor shoots because of semi-curfews and lockdowns in most cities. And one can’t make a whole film on a set.”

And the expected reshuffling of release dates is adding to woes. “Hum picture khatam karke bhi kya karenge, release kahan karenge,” asks Bazmee.

Not all shoots are coming to a halt. Web series Hush Hush is being shot in Delhi, director Prakash Jha is in Bhopal for shoot, and Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathan is underway in Mumbai. Filmmaker Ribhu Dasgupta is in Istanbul for his action thriller, starring Parineeti Chopra and Hardy Sandhu. “The government has not put a stop on shoots provided production companies follow protocols,” says Girish Johar, producer and trade analyst.

Last year left lessons on how to manage the situation. “In 2020 everything was defined from scratch. But now, we have our SOPs in place. Once this current wave, which I believe is at its peak, subsides, things will be better,” notes trade analyst Joginder Tuteja.

Actors Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, and Richa Chadha were supposed to come to Delhi to shoot for Fukrey 3, but the plans have been postponed.

In Delhi, director Zoya Akhtar is shooting for the second season of web series, Made In Heaven, with actor Arjun Mathur and Sobhita Dhulipala. “But they aren’t shooting any night sequences because of the night curfew in the national capital,” says line producer Ravi Sarin

Filmmaker Rohit Shetty is close to completing the shoot of Cirkus, Vikramaditya Motwane has just started working on his series Stardust, Vikas Bahl is filming Goodbye.