Bollywood gets into caution mode as Covid cases rise
The surge in Covid-19 cases in the country, especially in Maharashtra, has turned out to be a big worry for the film industry. Even though actors such as Shah Rukh Khan and Kartik Aaryan have recovered from the virus, the alarm bells have not stopped ringing. “Just like in other parts of the country and industry, the sentiment is the same — caution, caution and more caution. That is the only way forward, and we need to be really careful about the same,” says producer Boney Kapoor.
For the past few days, Maharashtra has been seeing a constant surge in cases, with the state’s environment and tourism minister, Aaditya Thackeray, saying that the state could be seeing the fourth wave of the virus crisis. And industry insiders reveal that makers have started to take extra precautionary measures for shoots. “Right now, it is more of a wait and watch situation. We have seen some great successes on the big screen in recent times, and the industry wants to keep up the momentum. That’s why everyone has become extra careful and is leaning on past lessons from the previous waves of situations to avoid a breakout on set,” producer and trade expert Girish Johar tells us.
BN Tiwari, president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), reveals that the junior artists have been told to mask up on set, and plans to administer booster doses are set in motion: “It is important for them to be extra cautious because they will be the first ones to be told to go off set if cases continue to rise.”
That’s not the only concern. “Everyone is scared and wondering if theatres will be closed once again, or if capacity will be back at 50%,” shares trade expert Atul Mohan, adding, “If theatres’ woes are back in Maharashtra, it will have a ripple effect in the whole country.”
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, on the other hand, stresses that it is important to hold on to the positives and wait for things to unfold instead of fretting about them: “Let’s see how it unfolds in the coming month.”