Will Bollywood stop filming again amid rising Covid-19 cases?

After suffering a huge setback in 2020, the film industry was finally getting back on track in early 2021. It was assumed that the original charm of the industry would be back. Many new projects have been announced and long-delayed films such as Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi and Ranveer Singh-starrer 83 have found their way onto the big screen. No sooner did things seem somewhat normal when the new variant of the coronavirus was back. Cinema owners have already started to bear the brunt of this and now it remains to be seen whether film and show shoots will once again be halted amid growing cases of Covid-19.

MANY FAMOUS B-TOWN HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

So far, many celebrities have been affected by the latest wave of the virus. Previously, Kareena Kapoor Khan and her friend Amrita Arora had tested positive for Covid. They have now battled the virus. John Abraham and his wife Priya Runchal have tested positive for Covid-19. Producer Ekta Kapoor is also against the virus. Sohail Khan’s wife and designer Seema Khan, Sanjay Kapoor’s wife Maheep Kapoor, Nora Fatehi and Mrunal Thakur are among the celebrities who have been infected with the virus.

Now the big question arises: Will Bollywood stop shooting for movies and shows, given the growing number of Covid-19 cases among fraternity members? Well, not just in Bollywood, the virus is spreading quickly to many cities as well. If the situation remains as it is (or worsens), you might as well expect another lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

LARGE UPCOMING EXITS AT HIGH RISK OF BEING POSTPONED

The film industry was slowly resuming its activities and had just started to generate profits. But, films like Jersey by Shahid Kapoor and RRR by SS Rajamouli have decided to postpone releases due to theatrical closure. Upcoming films like Radhe Shyam by Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, Prithviraj by Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan and Laal Singh Chaddha by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Gangubai Kathiawadi by Alia Bhatt, are also likely to be postponed.

It’s not just about delay. If the films are postponed, the recovery activity will drop dramatically. According to the latest update, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed his concerns about the current situation of the pandemic. He mentioned that the Omicron and Delta variants of Covid-19 could cause a “tsunami” of cases. The variants were first discovered in southern Africa last month and have already become the predominant variety in the United States and parts of Europe.

WILL CHANGE GUIDELINES AS NEEDED: NITIN AHUJA, CEO, FILM PRODUCTERS GUILD

Since there is no change in the SOPs for film and television production, there are quite a few films and shows in the works. Nitin Ahuja, CEO of Film Producers Guild, was quoted by The Times of India: “There has been no change in our SOPs yet as they are very robust, encompassing every department and step involved in the production process. of content. In addition, thanks to the extensive vaccination campaigns carried out by the Guild and many of our members, there are high levels of vaccine adoption in the industry. However, we are monitoring the situation closely and will change our guidelines accordingly if necessary. “

SAFETY MEASURES ON THE PLATES

Producer Ramesh Taurani, who recently announced his Merry Christmas movie starring Katrina Kaif, has provided security protocols on and off set. During the second lockdown, production of films and shows was moved to other cities, such as Goa and Ahmedabad. This time around, too, producers might consider moving from Mumbai to low-risk states to finish filming in an organic bubble.

We can now just wait and hope that the fear of the virus ends so that the entertainment industry can sigh in relief again.

READ ALSO | Jr NTR and Ram Charan’s RRR postponed indefinitely due to peak in Covid-19 cases