It’s back — the uncertainty, coupled with financial losses amid what is being touted as the third wave of Coronavirus. Celebs such as John Abraham, Ekta Kapoor, Delnaaz Irani, Drashti Dhami, Sumona Chakravarti and Prem Chopra have tested positive and film releases have been pushed, including that of RRR and Jersey.

As expected, people from the film industry are worried about the movies that are currently in various stages of production. According to reports, a few crew members tested positive on the set of actor Deepika Padukone’s Gehraiyaan, and as per rule, the shoot had to be stalled.

Trade expert Atul Mohan says everyone will be on the back foot now. “This will instil fear in actors to not go out and shoot for at least 10-15 days. There has been a sudden rise in cases and the economic repercussions will be there. Jersey got affected, and now, the entire year’s calendar will get disturbed. More states are going to shut down theatres,” he reasons.

We have learnt that the trailer launch of Gehraiyaan, which was supposed to take place in Alibaug, Maharashtra, has been cancelled, too. Also, a concert that was planned in Mumbai for Prabhas’ Radhe Shyam has been called off.

Producer Anand Pandit, who has a film, Thank God, coming up, says looking at the soaring number of cases in Bollywood, things seen to have gone out of control: “Fortunately, my production is complete. The film’s last day of shoot was two days ago and the rest of the work starts in March, so we will wait and watch. But, production is going to be severely impacted for everyone else.”

The atmosphere on the sets has also become fearful. Ravi Sarin, line producer for several films and web projects in Delhi, says the crew members have been sent home and all work has stopped. “We can’t shoot anything with just 20 people on set, so everything has been cancelled,” he says.

Trade analyst Joginder Tuteja says that things will need to be watched for at least a couple of months. “It’s not just the film industry; even the common man is prepared for such ups and downs now. There’s no uncertainty like the first wave. [I am sure] this wave will subside soon and we will be able to bounce back,” he ends.