Film association unhappy over 'impractical' guidelines on shooting, write to CM Thackeray

After a break of two months owing to the COVID-19 lockdown, shooting for films and other ventures are set to begin as the government eases restrictions. The Maharashtra government had issued guidelines for the shooting of Hindi and Marathi films and television shows, the sets of most of which are located in Mumbai. However, film associations have conveyed their difficulty in implementing some of the guidelines.

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After the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), now the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association has also written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the same. 

As per reports, the association feels that the implementation of the guideline on barring shooting for actors and technicians aged over 65 years old is ‘impractical.’ Anil Nagrath, secretary, IMPPA was quoted as saying in reports that there were numerous actors above the age bracket. He suggested that the makers could take more precautions, like shooting with the senior actors for only four hours and completing their portions first. 

Another guideline they expressed their disagreement was about having a doctor and medical team on every set. The association felt that it was a ‘wastage’ of resources when their services are needed in the hospitals, apart from arranging the teams at the numerous film sets. 

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Nagrath also said that the point about putting up the entire crew in a hotel, to avoid the possibility of them infecting their family, was also ‘impossible to implement.’ He stated that most of the hotels were taken by the government itself as a quarantine facility.

They were also unhappy about the suggestion of casting an actor’s family members as actors, arguing that not everyone can be actors. They termed the guidelines as ‘roadblocks.’ IMPPA urged the CM to modify the guidelines and also attached the guidelines issued by the Karnataka government, as it offered ‘flexibility.’  

TP Aggarwal, president of Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association reacted to the rule of the Managing Director of Film City granting permissions regarding film shootings. He, however, was quoted as saying in reports that the Film City had not received any Government Resolution in this regard and were unable to help with the permissions.

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