The sudden suspension of shoots to curb the spike in Coronavirus cases comes with a sense of deja vu, but producers hope it won’t be a rerun of 2020 for the TV fraternity. Last year after the sudden nationwide lockdown was announced, the small screen had to opt for repeat telecasts for months to fill the void of fresh content. This time, makers have tried to create an episode bank but are concerned about what happens if it is exhausted and the Covid situation doesn’t improve.

“Right now, people have a bank of two to seven episodes. After that, they’ll have to go for reruns for a week or 10 days, and that’s not a big problem, if we compare it to the last lockdown,” says J D Majethia, chairman, TV division of Indian Film and TV Producers Council, and producer of Wagle Ki Duniya.

The tricky part, he adds, is there won’t be support from advertisers if channels rely too much on reruns. “Bahut mushkil se ek habit banti hai viewers ki ke woh humara show regularly dekhein, and if this habit isn’t continued, it becomes very difficult to bring them back,” cautions Majethia.

At the moment, most popular shows including Kundali Bhagya, Shakti: Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, Hamari Wali Good News, Barrister Babu, Indian Idol, Super Dancer, Punyashlok Ahilyabai, Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai and Happu Ki Ultan Paltan are relying on banks while they figure out their next move, which may include shifting shoots out of town.

“All channels are planning to add more advertisements in the show package to reduce the content time. This way, they can use existing content judiciously as they figure out a way,” says a source. The main challenge will come when the bank is exhausted, observes Nitin Vaidya, producer of Mere Sai. “I have a bank of seven days, but what after that? I can’t move the huge set to another city overnight,” he rues.

Qurbaan Hua’s producer Sonali Jaffar says channels are taking the final call. “No channel wants to go for reruns, so they’re putting their heads together to see it’s avoided. For people at home, entertainment is one of the primal needs,” shares Jaffar

But, if the curbs are extended after May 2, then “there will be a huge problem”, feels Majethia. “We plan to meet the chief minister in the coming week and request him to exempt us. We’ll promise to take extra steps to minimise the rate of infection,” he says.