Published 18:02 IST, March 15th 2020
Coronavirus: No film, TV shoots for 2 weeks, associations announce, after celeb reactions
Amid the Coronavirus scare, it has been announced by major associations that there will be no film, TV shoots for 2 weeks. This was after celebrities had fumed.
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It seems the entertainment industry is set for a two-week break amid the coronavirus scare. After release dates were postponed and shooting of films were put on hold, an official announcement has been made to halt shooting from March 19-31. The leading associations of the entertainment industry came to the decision after a meeting on Sunday.
As per an update on ANI, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association, Federation of Western India Cine Employees and Indian Film & Television Directors' Association, known by their abbreviations usually like IMPPA, FWICE and IFTDA, announced the decision.
The break is set to start on Thursday and go on for almost two weeks till March 31.
Film bodies,including Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association,Federation of Western India Cine Employees and Indian Film&Television Directors' Association,in a meeting today decided to halt shooting of entertainment products from 19 March to 31 March,in view of #CoronaVirus
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2020
Celebs were unhappy
The decision was announced after several celebrities had expressed their unhappiness over the continuation of shoots. Sandhya Mridul had written how she was concerned about over 100-200 people working on the sets, and how they were not at liberty to even work from home.
While many take a call to stay home .. it concerns me that so many people are shooting on 100-200 strong sets .. closed sets..with hardly any precautions in place... exposed..some people can stay home & work but what off the cast crew on these sets? @CintaaOfficial
— Sandhya Mridul (@sandymridul) March 14, 2020
Tillotama Shome had used the hashtag #shouldShootsGoOn to share how there were deadlines for the episodes to be delivered on time and how she was ‘horrified’ to hear it.
"The channel guys are working out of homes and sending mails saying make sure episodes are delivered on time"- Word on the street. A film set is a huge hazard, so many people exposed who can become potential vectors. Horrified to hear this! @mybmc @MoHFW_INDIA #broadcasters
— Tillotama Shome (@TillotamaShome) March 14, 2020
One had also tagged the film associations, questioning the reason for the shoots continuing.
So while cinemas and malls are shut, every film/tv unit has a minimum 50-200 people working .. any thoughts #Broadcasters @OfficeofUT @mybmc @MoHFW_INDIA @AUThackeray @producersguild
— Onir (@IamOnir) March 14, 2020
For the unversed, the shooting of films like Jersey has been officially put on hold, while reports claim Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and Brahmastra have also seen a similar situation.
The release dates of Sooryavanshi and Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar have been pushed ahead and IIFA Awards has also been postponed. Theatres and malls have been advised to remain closed in various parts of the country.
India has witnessed over 100 cases of coronavirus until now, with two deaths being reported. The central and state governments have been urging citizens to take precautions, like wearing masks, ensuring personal hygiene and avoiding large gatherings.
18:02 IST, March 15th 2020