After government issues shoot guidelines, IMPPA dashes off a letter to CM terming them 'impractical', urges him to modify protocols as per those followed in Karnataka.
Stills from Maidaan and The Big Bull
The week began on a positive note for the entertainment industry as the state government greenlit the resumption of shoots. While several cine bodies welcomed the decision, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA) has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, terming the guidelines "impractical". The rules in contention include the barring of actors and technicians above 65 years of age from shooting and the presence of a doctor and nurse on the set.
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"We have so many stars who are over 65. Bringing an elderly person on the set is risky, but we will take more precautions. We will shoot for only four hours with them instead of eight hours and complete their portions first. We will also keep them secluded," says Anil Nagrath, secretary, IMPPA. The cine association deems the presence of a medical team on set as a sheer wastage of precious resources in these pressing times.
The government has stated that the crew reporting to a set must be put up in a hotel, thereby eliminating the possibility of them infecting their families. However, Nagrath pokes holes in the suggestion. "That is impossible to implement as most hotels have been taken up by the government as quarantine centres. Their suggestion of casting actors' family members in the supporting roles [to restrict contact with others] is impractical. Not everyone belonging to a star's family is an actor! They have put roadblocks by way of the regulations."
A snapshot of IMPPA's letter to the chief minister
Ahead of the resumption of shoot of films, including Maidaan and The Big Bull, IMPPA has not only urged the Thackeray-led government to modify the protocols, but also sent a copy of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Karnataka government. Quiz him on the differences in the guidelines, and he says, "They don't have [ad hoc] rules [about casting family members and having medical personnel on set]. Their guidelines offer flexibility."
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