On Thursday, the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) cancelled permissions that were given for film and TV serial shootings in Goa in the wake of rising Coronavirus cases. After this decision by the ESG (Goa government’s nodal agency that grants permission for commercial shootings), there was chaos in the television fraternity.

Eleven TV shows relocated to Goa after shootings were stalled in Maharashtra last month and they are now left with no choice but to wrap up and return to Mumbai. The hunt for new locations has already begun. The shows that had shifted base to Goa are Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Mein, Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha, Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani, Molkki, Bawara Dil, Kumkum Bhagya, Kundali Bhagya, Yeh Hai Chahatein, Apna Time Bhi Aayega, Tujhse Hai Raabta and Qurbaan Hua.

A few days back, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had announced a lockdown till May 3, but TV shoots were allowed to continue because they were filming in resorts and villas. However, now with the rising cases, the Goa government has decided to put a stop to all shootings for now.

While some production houses have decided to move back to Mumbai, there are a few others who are toying with the idea of staying back in Goa, and move to a new location straight from there. Says a source from a production house, “Returning to Mumbai and then to another location will be time-consuming and expensive, so some producers feel that it’s better to stay back in Goa and zero in on a new location. Among the options that they are looking at are Gujarat and Daman. However, some of them plan to return to Mumbai, so that if the situation in Mumbai improves they can resume shooting here.”

We spoke to a few actors who are shooting in Goa, who said that they haven’t been informed anything officially. Neil Bhatt, the lead actor of Ghum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein, told us on Thursday evening, “We haven’t been informed about the wrap up. We are still in the resort.” Shraddha Arya, the lead actress of Kundali Bhagya, said, “I have heard of the new rule, but we haven’t told anything yet. We have to wait and watch.”

When we reached out to Antonio Costa, President of the All Goa Line Producers Association, he said, “Whatever scheduled shoots were taking place, have been put on hold, as of 1 pm on Thursday. They’ve packed up and some of them are planning to move to Daman or Diu, since these two union territories are still open. These shoots are being handled by the line producers registered with us. There are a lot of other shoots taking place, which do not go through the loop, and which we term as illegal. They are out of our control. Whichever shoots were in the control of the ESG and our association have been cancelled.”

A few line producers from Goa, working on a couple of TV shows, also expressed their concerns. Shiva Naik, a line producer, said, “We wrapped up or called off all the movie and web series that were being shot in the state last month itself since the second wave hit and cases were rising. Health is of utmost importance. Only TV show shoots were going on, which have also been cancelled now. I think we need to take it easy for a while and start work only once the situation gets better.”

Sandeep Kotecha, who was working with production units of three TV shows in Goa, said, “It’s going to be a major loss. And this will have long-term effects since the situation doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”

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The Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), on Thursday, cancelled the permission granted to shoot films and television shows in the state in the wake of the rising cases. This has posed a difficulty for the units of as many as 11 shows that had shifted base to Goa in mid-April after the Maharashtra government imposed a junta curfew.

A prime example is Zee TV’s Apna Time Bhi Aayega, which was being filmed in the beach state over the past 20 days. With only a week’s bank of episodes, producer-writer Ved Raj says the team has no option but to quickly set up base in another location. “Hyderabad is one of the options. We are also looking at the possibility [of filming in] Gujarat or Daman. We have a bank of episodes till the coming Friday. So, the idea is to move to the next location, instead of returning to Mumbai to figure out the plan of action,” he says.

The filming of Ekta Kapoor’s popular shows, including Kumkum Bhagya and Molkki, was progressing smoothly in bio-bubbles. A source reveals, “All shoots have been halted since Friday morning. The makers of these shows are considering making an appeal to the authorities to let them continue shooting as they adhere to stringent safety norms. They will have clarity by Saturday.”

Even under perfect conditions, canning 260 episodes in a year is a Herculean task. So, it is not surprising that telly producers have finally decided to crack the whip on errant actors and crew members. From reporting late to chewing tobacco and smoking, all bad habits are 'punishable offences' under their new policy. If this reminds you of that strict teacher in school, well, that's because some rules and penalties are actually straight out of the class room. Read on...

NO COMPROMISE ON PUNCTUALITY
Setting a bench-mark: Vikas Gupta, the producer of Warrior High, feels monetary fines won't pinch actors, as most are paid handsomely. So, he penalises latecomers by making them stand on a bench for 10 minutes. He says, “Fines are not taken seriously by actors. Since my show has a college as its backdrop, I decided to come up with a punishment that will take my team back to its student days.“

The timetable trick: Producer Sunjoy Waddhwa has opted to rely on an age old practice - setting a timetable - to boost his team's productivity. Be it working hours or breaks, everything has a fixed timing. Copies of the timetable have been put up around the set. He says, “This will instil a sense of punctuality, thus enhancing our production and creative values.“


TOBACCO-FREE SETS
For the sake of a healthier work environment, many makers are enforcing the anti-tobacco rule. Producers Rajan Shahi, Yash Patnaik, Sunjoy Waddhwa and Sumeet Mittal have banned unhealthy habits like chewing tobacco, gutka, pan masala containing tobacco, cigarettes, etc - on the sets of their shows. Violators are fined Rs 100. Actress Shraddha Arya, currently seen in Dream Girl, says, “Statistics prove that 50% people who chew tobacco die from the health hazards caused by it. I am proud of this initiative by the producers. If it dissuades even five people from consuming tobacco, it's great.“ Rajan adds, “A show belongs to the entire team and so, a positive and healthy environment is everyone's responsibility. Smoking is not entertained on my sets. Apart from its obvious health hazards, there is also the risk of it causing fire. All rules are decided unanimously and applicable on all. It is never an individual's decision.“

Yash says, “We strongly believe in maintaining discipline, decorum and hygiene on our sets. Cigarettes and other tobacco-based products have been a complete no-no for years. Our cast and crew don't even need to be reminded about it anymore.“

BAN ON VANITY VAN
To ensure maximum utilisation of time, Vikas has barred his actors from retiring into their vanity vans in between shots. “The to and fro between vanity vans and sets consumes a lot of time. So, actors are not allowed to return to their rooms till the whole scene is captured. This also helps them stay connected to the character,“ he says.

AN EXPENSIVE 'RING'
Chatting on phone can turn out to be an expensive affair on Sumeet's sets. If anyone, including him, is found with a ringing/vibrating phone at work, he/she has to treat the whole unit to sumptuous food. Actress Shraddha has ended up treating the entire unit to lavish meals on several occasions. She says, “I often forget to switch my phone off or keep it on silent mode. But after a few expensive treats, I have now learnt my lesson.“

Producer Rajan Shahi also fines team members Rs 500 every time someone's mobile phone rings in between shots.

POINTS FORFEITED
Recently, lack of discipline cost celebrity participants of dance reality show Nach Baliye some precious points. Judge Preity Zinta was seriously miffed when participants started disappearing during the shoot, causing delays and panic. She decided to penalise the erring couples by deducting two points from their score.