TOWARDS FINISH LINE

Over the past few days, there have been murmurs about how film shoots can re-start after lockdown 3.0 comes to an end. And whenever that happens, there are a string of films that were about to reach the finishing line before lockdown 1.0 set in.

Among many such movies are Mumbai Saga, Arjun Kapoor-Rakul Preet starrer next, Radhe, Laxmmi Bomb, Brahmastra, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Khaali Peeli, Anurag Kashyap and Sujoy Ghosh’s respective next films, and Laal Singh Chaddha among others.

While Haseen Dillruba has just five-day work left, Mumbai Saga will be completed in three-four days. “We have about 10 days of shoot left for our film. But what can you do in such a situation?” says Arjun Kapoor. “We had just one song left in Laxmmi Bomb, and 5-6 days of shooting for Indoo Ki Jawani,” adds Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 actor Kiara Advani (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was shot for about four days into a 14-day Lucknow schedule when the shooting halted). Mumbai Saga maker Sanjay Gupta says that “only three days’ shoot and two songs are to be finished” on his film.

Amid talks of getting back to work, makers feel “everyone will be extremely anxious” about it. But industry insiders admit it can be “extremely frustrating” for those filmmakers whose films are “so close to the finishing line.”

Experts feel more than the small and mid-range films, it’s the big films that will feel the pinch, especially those who have “started off but a lot of it is yet to be done.” “They are going to find it difficult in terms of spiraling investment, cast and crew’s dates and finding a window to start/finish work whenever shoots start,” says exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi.