Ban on film, serial shootings till May 30

Shooting of films in Tollywood and TV serials will remain suspended from Sunday onwards with the stricter restrictions imposed by the state government to stem the surge in the number of Covid cases.

The decision was taken as it would not be possible to carry on with the work when transport and other services would remain suspended till May 30. At the same time, the move was also initiated to ensure the safety of the people involved in the sector during the Covid pandemic.

The subsequent move of resuming normalcy in the film industry will be taken only after looking into state government’s directives after May 30.

On June 10 last year, the shooting for Bengali TV serials had resumed after remaining suspended for 83 days during the first wave of the Covid pandemic. The telecast of new episodes of TV serials had started on June 15.

The shooting of films had also resumed on June 9 last year. It had resumed following decisions taken in a meeting attended by the state Sports and Youth Services Minister Aroop Biswas, representatives of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA), West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum, Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India and top brass of different channels.

Not more than 35 people were initially allowed on the shooting floor and artistes used to use their own make-up items, besides maintaining the norms of physical distancing. Millennium Post