TV, web series & films shooting to resume in Maharashtra

After 61 days of inactivity, shoots of television shows, web series, and films will now resume in Mumbai from June 15, 2021. The Maharashtra government, on June 6, while announcing the unlock plan, stated that the film and television industry can resume shoots but with restriction.

The government has allowed shoots to take place in a bubble and mandated that no movement should take place outside post 5 pm from June 7 since Mumbai was under level 3 according to the new unlock plan.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), President BN Tiwari shared, “We will be starting shoots at full scale from tomorrow. Since Mumbai now comes under level 2, we have got some relaxation, and therefore we are allowed to shoot from 7 am to 7 pm.”

Tiwari added that the government has mentioned that permission will be given by the area collector whether or not shoots will happen. “Filmcity has permitted us to shoot from 7 am to 7 pm. All people (producers, actors, crew) who were shooting outside Mumbai have come back and others will come soon. We all are set to start the shoots while taking care of all the government’s guidelines. ”

As per sources, TV shows, including Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani, Anupamaa, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya 2, Namak Ishq Ka etc have all come back to Mumbai from their respective locations.

Meanwhile, some of the shows will continue to be shot outside Maharashtra for this week.

Ranjeet Thakur, the co-founder of Frames Production, said, “We are yet to finish the schedule that already planned, and after completing them, we will move to Mumbai.” The production is currently shooting for its dance reality show- Super Dancer Chapter-4 in Daman.

Others like Hats Off Production have decided to gauge the situation before making any decisions. Founder, JD Majethia who is also the Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) chairman, said that they don’t have anything in writing. Hence he will wait for few days and then will decide to resume shoots in Mumbai.

“For at least another 4-5 days, we will not resume shoots in Mumbai. Maybe from next week, we will start depending on the situation.” Majethia has been shooting for his show Wagle Ki Duniya in Silvassa.

All the shoots were halted when the Maharashtra government announced a complete lockdown on April 15, 2021.

To avoid a dependence on re-runs like last year, broadcasters and producers decided to continue shooting outside Maharashtra.

As earlier reported by exchange4media, several television producers and programming heads of the channels shared that the production budget went up by 20-25% (cost varies for different shows) in just the last 30-40 days.

They have been bearing the cost of safety and hygiene measures since the onslaught of the pandemic last year, and now they have to cover the cost of logistics too. The shooting of most of the TV shows was happening at the locations like Silvassa, Vapi, Daman, Hyderabad, Goa, Agra, and Jaipur.

Coming back to their studios in Mumbai will definitely bring some relief to the producers and broadcasters. PitchOnnet