Unlock 1 Maharashtra: Shootings of Films And TV Shows Begin; Radhe, Gangubai Kathiawadi And Maidaan to go on Floors | Earth Indian

The Maharashtra government, on Sunday, gave permission to the film and the TV industry to resume shootings in the state. The decision brought cheer in the industry where the work has been halted for the last two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The government released a set of Standard Operating Guiding Principles to restart the entertainment industry in the state that has to be followed at all the places where shootings will take place. In the absence of these SOPs, the work will be stopped by the authorities.

The guidelines mention that the producers who wish to begin shoots of their projects will have to acquire permission from the managing director of Maharashtra Film, Theatre and Cultural Development Corporation (Film City). Those who are planning to travel to other cities in Maharashtra apart from Mumbai for a shoot will have to reach out to the respective district collectors.

The set of SOPs that the government has issued is the combination of what was proposed to the authorities by the members of the Producers’ Guild of India and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) in a web-meeting on May 22. One of the important guidelines in the entire module states that the sets will have to function with only 33 per cent of the original strength of the project. Along with this, the presence of an ambulance, a doctor, and a nurse is considered mandatory on all the sets. The regular monitoring of the temperature of those working on the sets and sanitiser shower bath, use of masks-gloves, and other protective equipment is also necessary.

The decision will directly affect the big films that were lingering in the middle of nowhere with the news of the abrupt shutdown. While Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan can go on the sets again, Salman Khan’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai can be completed after finishing the last shoot-schedule of the film.

Theatres, however, continue to remain shut.

By Shivam Urkude || Earth Indian