COVID-19 STRIKES: WAS IT TOO EARLY TO ‘UNLOCK’ SHOWBIZ?
While some feel it’s time to reassess things, other say shoots must resume as livelihoods have been hit hard
Spotted — this one word rules showbiz. An artiste being spotted in public means he or she has shoots or meetings and hence, the industry is functioning as usual. And it was after three months one heard the word again, as actors cautiously stepped out. But recent incidents — the Bachchans, actor Anupam Kher’s family, and actor Parth Samthaan all tested positive for Covid-19 — have forced a rethink. Was it too early to resume work?
While many actors such as Vidya Balan and Akshay Kumar stepped out to shoot for ads, Amitabh Bachchan (who shot for a few promos at home), his son Abhishek (who stepped out to dub for his web show), his daughter-in-law Aishwarya and granddaughter Aaradhya have all tested positive. Actor Amit Sadh, who was dubbing for the same show as Abhishek, feels it was perhaps too soon. “It is a double-edged sword as we want to get back to work. But maybe it was too soon, we need to stop and re-evaluate,” says the 37-year-old.
Trade expert Atul Mohan concurs, “We are in a phase where cases are at an all-time high, and, even if you take precautions, all it will take is a fraction of a second to contract the virus. These cases have put us on the backfoot. We’ll have to be very careful about another step.”
But others argue that such cases don’t mean work should stop. Filmmaker R Balki, who had stepped out to shoot for a Covid-19 awareness ad with Kumar, says, “We have to get back to work. The cases are going to rise as you open up and you interact. We have to take precautions and move on. The recovery rate is also high, we can’t live in fear every time there is something. We can’t do that, life has to move on. Actors going out for post-production is the correct step.”
Binaifer Kohli, producer of a TV show whose hairdresser recently tested positive, too feels it is imperative to resume work as technicians are the worst-affected. “Only 33% of the crew is allowed on set, what about the others at home, starving? It’s the right time to work, we should have stepped out earlier with precautions. It’s a flu, everybody is going to get it, it is like cold,” she says.
As for the hairdresser of the show’s actor, Saumya Tandon, Kohli says the person tested negative the day before she came on set for one day. “She tested positive on the 10th day, in those days she must have gone to the hospital or wherever. She was not on my set,” Kohli adds, saying that creating a bank of episodes will be tough as one has to shut the sets for three days after anyone tests positive.
Ashoke Pandit, chief advisor, Federation of Western India Cine Employees says it’s not that if there are no shoots people won’t be infected. “How long will technicians sit at home? Broadcasters have made huge investments, how long will they survive?” he says. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees work should resume, but adds a word of caution: “All rules should be followed very strictly.”
Rishabh Suri