Movie shoots came to a halt due to Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Restrictions were eased in January 2021 and the film industry revved up. The shoots were happening keeping in mind the protocols set up due to the pandemic. The makers of the films were gearing up for the theaterical release of films that were held up for more than a year. Unfortunately, India was hit by a second wave of the pandemic, followed by yet another lockdown. Therefore, shoot of multiple films was again put on hold. The lockdown also led to the cancellation of overseas schedules planned by some producers for their respective films.
Film Associations are in constant touch with State Government officials. If everything goes well, the Maharashtra state government will permit the film shoots to resume in June. This would mean that the cameras will start rolling in the near future. The film industry will be back on its feet from June 15. It will be a respite for over 50,000 daily wage workers who are out of a job. The basic groundwork to resume work has begun. Some of the directors are prepping to resume work from their respective homes.
The sets of Salman Khan starrer Tiger 3, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham’s Pathan, and Akshay Kumar’s Ram Setu are set up in Mumbai. Pathan and Tiger team is also expected to fly abroad soon in the months to come. We await the official announcement from the government and the film industry now. In the cyclone that rocked Mumbai, the set of the movie Maidan has been destroyed so even if the shoots resume, they may have to first carry repairs and then get on to shoot.
Reportedly, the film bodies have promised that all Covid-19 related protocols will be followed. In fact, multiple production houses and top names of the industry are also in talks with the government to explore the possibility of getting the entire film industry vaccinated to curb the spread of Covid.19.