Mumbai: Actor Javed Khan, whose repertoire spanned a lion’s share of comedy and a side serving of character roles, passed away after a prolonged illness ending in lung failure on Tuesday. He was 75. A native of Amroha, UP, Khan was an FTII alumnus and closely associated with theatre through IPTA. 

Doordarshan viewers recall the twinkle-eyed Karim barber of TV serial ‘Nukkad’ while film lovers double up with laughter over ‘Anand Akela’ courting Raveena Tandon in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. Ashutosh Gowariker, who directed him in ‘Lagaan’, said, “He was known for his straight-faced humour. And I liked his work for that very reason. His one line that is unforgettable for me is the way he says ‘Hum Jeet Gaye!’ when the villagers win. His contribution to theatre and film is immense. Javed bhai will be missed!”

Khan's students at ZIMA (Zee Institute of Media Arts) in Andheri, which he headed, were conversant with his full range of performance. Khan had played Bharat Kapoor’s evil lackey in ‘Noorie’ and caretaker Sukh Lal in ‘Chak De India!’

He is survived by a son and daughter. The last rites were performed in Oshiwara Kabrastan at 7. 30pm on Tuesday.

Months after film shoots had been halted due to the pandemic, over 15 projects were filmed in NCR between January and March, as COVID cases were low. However, with the recent surge in Coronavirus cases across the country and in Delhi, film shoots in NCR have been brought to a standstill again. After Maharashtra imposed a night curfew, which was later followed by Delhi, line producers in the city say they were getting queries and around 60-70 per cent of ad shoots were expected to be shifted to the capital, along with shoots of a few films and web series. But after the weekend curfew was announced in Delhi (on April 15), queries have reduced to a few. Currently, the only shoots happening in the capital are ad shoots in farm houses, as all major film shoots have been stalled.

Line producers say that even though shoot permissions were acquired, most production houses have decided to not shoot in NCR due to the current situation. Sumit Tyagi, a line producer, says, “The shoot schedule of Fukrey 3 was ready and some locations were final, but now, the film’s shoot has been postponed. Rajkummar Rao’s Monica, O My Darling, which was scheduled for this month, has also been postponed.”

Javed Khan, a line producer, says, “Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam and Nimrat Kaur’s Dasvi’s next schedule was a week-long shoot in Delhi, but due to the rise in COVID cases it has been halted, and a day-long indoor shoot may happen in NCR at a later date. Abhishek will not come to Delhi for the shoot. Tejas also had a short schedule in Delhi which has been stalled.” Another line producer informs, “Luv Ranjan’s was scheduled this month in NCR, but it has been postponed.” However, films scheduled for June are not cancelled yet.

With a rise in COVID cases, locals end up complaining to the police about the gathering due to film shoots. Javed says, “If we tell the police that we will shoot with a small crew of 20-30 people, we get permissions. But when locals see a shooting happening in their area, they call the Police Control Room. Earlier this week, in Lucknow, where Dasvi’s shoot was going on in a park, some locals complained to the police and objected to it due to rising COVID cases, and the shoot was stalled. This is a new problem we are facing in cities with a higher number of cases. Last Sunday when I was shooting for an ad in Lodhi Colony in Delhi, locals objected to the shoot. We had a small crew and all the permissions. They complained to the police, asking why a film shoot was being allowed when there are restrictions in place.”

Recently, during the shoot of Half Girlfriend at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), the college's sports complex was used to shoot an inter-zonal basketball match between two colleges, 'Stevens' and 'Raj Hans'. The film's crew then went on to shoot at St Stephen's and Miranda House as well. A few months ago, Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna and Boney Kapoor turned SRCC's campus into 'Green Field School' for their upcoming movie, Mom.

But Mumbai's colleges, which have been iconic spots for Bollywood feature films and commercials previously, have seen a dip in the recent past. From Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na) showing off St Xavier's' campus to Amrita Rao and Shahid Kapoor studying in the lawns of Sophia College for Women in Ishq Vishk, not much is seen of them lately.

So while one saw Ranveer Singh singing Tarkeebein (Band Baaja Baaraat) at Hans Raj's basketball court or Ranbir Kapoor singing Jo Bhi Main (Rockstar) under Hindu College's famous Virgin Tree, Mumbai colleges no longer fall under the same category .

ALTERNATE LOCATIONS MAIN REASON FOR THE DIP
Filmmakers now have more options to shoot in other parts of the country. Manishh Mehra, a line producer from Delhi tells us that the trend of shooting in DU started with Band Baaja Baaraat, which was shot at Hans Raj College and Ramjas College in 2010. “Earlier, when someone wanted to shoot in Delhi, they went to places like India Gate and Red Fort. With Band Baaja..., big stars entered DU to shoot, and soon, others followed suit. Many scripts from then on were written keeping DU in mind,“ he says.

Ravi Sarin, another line producer, adds, “In the past three-four years, DU has become a popular spot to shoot films in. Mumbai is comparatively expensive, and if someone wants to show Delhi, directors choose DU. No one comes only to shoot in colleges but also nearby places.“

STUDENTS GETTING DISTRACTED, SECURITY CONCERNS OTHER REASONS
Due to colleges buzzing with activities at all times, it becomes a lot more difficult to shoot. So while IIT-Bombay, which is known for its sprawling campus, is approached quite frequently, the institute keeps away from commercial shoots, apart from documentaries. Falguni Banerjee Naha, PRO, IIT Bombay, says, “Since most commercial movie shoots take place at night when students are either studying or sleeping, we do not want them to be disturbed or distracted. Vrooming cars, bright lights and song and dance are avoided. Security issue is another concern. We only allow documentaries that promote education or have a social message. In fact, for a recent documentary shoot, the makers had a tie-up with our Industrial design centre and students, too, were a part of the project. We don't mind collaborating on such projects wherever students get to learn the aesthetics of filmmaking. We don't even charge them.“

Navmeet Singh, a line producer from Delhi adds, “While colleges like SRCC, Hindu, Hans Raj and Miranda House are the most shooting-friendly colleges, they want to make sure that the institute's reputation is not maligned. St Stephen's didn't allow shoots before, and even now when they allow them, the authorities are very picky. They think that hostellers will get disturbed because of us,“ he says.

GUIDELINES SET BY COLLEGE AUTHORITIES FOR SHOOTS
Despite the increasing number of shoots happening in DU, not everyone gets the permission to shoot in colleges. “We got two proposals for film shoots last year, but we said no. We are renovating our infrastructure, and were apprehensive about letting them shoot in case the crew damages the renovated structure. Also, I was appointed last year only, so I did not allow any shoot. We might allow shoots later, but not right now,“ says Dinesh Khattar, acting principal, Kirori Mal College, Delhi.

R P Rustagi, acting principal, SRCC, adds, “Though the college only provides the space for shoot, there are some details that we take in writing from them, like which area they will shoot in. We also ask about the number of people (cast and crew) they will bring. It is also mentioned beforehand that no fixed property of the college should be harmed during the shoot. We don't allow outsiders inside the campus. We never let them shoot on our working days, so they are only here on Sundays or during the summer break.“

Colleges also prefer to know the background of the movie before allowing a shoot in the college premises. Javed Khan, a line producer, says, “College authorities generally put conditions like there should be no damage to their property. They sometimes read the script to make sure that there is nothing against the college or anything that can create a controversy. One problem we faced during Mom's shoot was that the student union bodies asked us to show the script. But nothing happened during Half Girlfriend's shoot.“

MUMBAI COLLEGES NOT GUNG-HO
Some parts of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Ferrari Ki Sawaari were shot in the University of Mumbai's (MU) premises. M A Khan, registrar of MU, says, “A few years back Wilson college received flak for renting their campus for shoot while HSC exams were on. But of late, most colleges do not allow shoots to take place since they tend to get extended. According to the management's discretion, they can give it on a Sunday or later, post lecture timings. Students tend to get attracted to celebs and teachers also complain about attendance issues. The case for cultural movies and documentaries is different. Institutes in other cities allow shoots since it a business for them. But if the revenue is used for the betterment of students, it shouldn't be much of a concern.“

LITTERING, SHARING & MORE: JAB CAST & CREW BECOME A PART OF THE CAMPUS
During a movie shoot in SRCC, we overheard a guard saying, 'Main nahi khol raha yeh park. Yahan aake sab kha ke chale jayenge aur ganda kar denge. Saaf kaun karega?' (referring to the junior artists who were having lunch). Hostellers from Miranda House, where Half Girlfriend was being shot, also say that littering is an issue.

Dr V I Katchi, principal, Bhavan's College in Mumbai, adds, “The academic ambiance of the college is disturbed. Many a times, the team hires things but don't clean it up. Script papers, and other materials used during the shoot is left as is. They also damage properties, leave the garden in a mess and so, we only give permission to our students who want to shoot short films in the premises.“

On the brighter side, though, the canteen makes profits during shoots. Sanjeev Kumar, who runs a coffee stall in Miranda House, says that his sale went up by 50 per cent when Half Girlfriend was being shot in the lawns near his stall. “Waise toh vacation ke time sale zyada nahi hoti, par inki shooting ki wajah se meri sale 50 per cent zyada ho gayi thi. Scene karke kaafi log jaldi se cold coffee peene aa jaate thay,“ he says.