A cloud of uncertainty — of coronavirus proportions — looms large over the film and TV industry that does not know yet if they will be able to return to work by March 31.
Film bodies, including the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) and Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association, had on Sunday decided to put on hold all production till the end of this month. The decision is in effect from Thursday, but under orders from the BMC work is already is off since Tuesday.
The industry estimates that the total projected loss from these 11 days is likely to be over Rs 750 crore.
Trade expert Komal Nahta said: “About Rs 200 crore will return to the industry once films like Sooryavanshi release, which is a sure-shot return. But the 15 days of no work is a dead loss, amounting to Rs 650 crore. The exhibition business’ loss is nothing less than Rs 550 crore and production loss is about Rs 100 crore. But production loss can be recovered once they are back to work.”
“The television and web series industry are looking at a loss of about Rs 100 crore,” added J.D. Majethi, the chairman of Indian Film & Television Producers’ Council (TV & web series).
Mega projects on hold
Visit to the various studios in Mumbai revealed abandoned sets and workers packing up equipment. On some sets, like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi starring Alia Bhatt, security guards are on duty, but there were no safety measures like masks or sanitisers spotted. Although, most sets do have information boards to educate the workers and personnel about taking precautionary steps against the coronavirus.
Outdoor shoots have also been called off because of the coronavirus outbreak, Kartik Aaryan returned from Lucknow where he was shooting for Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
Shahid Kapoor was spotted at the domestic airport on the weekend, wearing a mask, back from his Jersey shoot in Chandigarh.
Filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala has about two to three films under production, with Akshay Kumar’s Bachchan Pandey about to go on floor. Action sequences for Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Prithviraj were to be shot, but both the projects are on hold. Salman Khan has also scrapped the plan to travel to Azerbaijan to shoot a Radhe song.
Also on hold is Mahesh Bhatt’s Sadak 2 shoot in Ooty. The filmmaker’s return to the director’s chair after 21 years stars the original stars Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt, besides Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Jisshu Sengupta and others.
Mukesh Bhatt, who was also scheduled to travel for Sadak 2, feels that the government should come forward with some packages to help those who have lost business because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Bhatt said: “Look at the packages the US, UK and many other countries are offering to people. I feel the government should be sensitive towards the business professionals and give them some tax relief or some kind of benefits that will help them recover some of the losses incurred due to this outbreak. There has been job loss and I would like to see how the government is going to compensate the people and share the burden.”
In 2009, when producers had stopped releases after failed profit-sharing talks with exhibitors, there had been a two-month strike leading to a loss of Rs 900 crore. Bhatt, who was spearheading the fight against the unfair ratio of revenue sharing then, said: “Films didn’t release during those two months. Then there was another strike when the workers went on strike over wage hike, that time too we lost about Rs 300 crore, but 2020 will damage the entertainment business by Rs 4,000 crore.”
Nahta recalled the 1986 strike, when his father was the president of Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association. “The film industry had asked for some concession from the government which was refused, so they went on strike which lasted for 31 days. The Godbole committee was formed and it gave the decision and the government had to give the industry tax relief.”
Fate of daily wage workers
Among the first casualties of the coronavirus outbreak in the entertainment industry would be the daily wage workers, like cine dancers, spot boys and the associated crew members, and technicians putting the loss at about Rs 50 crore for the 11 days.
A source said: “Song sequences for Brahmastra and Bunty Aur Babli 2 were cancelled as both required the participation of over 100 dancers. Dancers required in reality shows have also lost work. The foreign dancers are also going back to their countries.”
A camera attendant, spotted on the sets of the new TV show Dil Jaise Dhadke... Dhadakne Do, said: “I am getting a forced break after six years so I’ll go back to my hometown. I have a good producer who will pay me but I also expect help from the government.”
About 800 members of the Mahila Kalakar are also out of work. Zulekar Khan, who heads the department, said: “We have about 800 members of whom 600 get regular work in films. But with shooting being stopped, all of them are losing Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 a day, which is huge setback. These losses cannot be recovered in any way. We still don’t have any intimation from the FWICE about how they will help us tide over this crisis.
“When we don’t work in films there are weddings where our members go, but weddings have also been cancelled. We don’t know where to go for help.”
Help at hand
The FWICE, the mother body of all the 24 crafts, with the help of the producers and production houses, will distribute ration and basic groceries to all its affiliates from Sunday, from 11am-5pm. The Film and Television Producers’ Guild has also opened a relief fund for the daily wage workers, saying “anyone and everyone is welcome to give donation”.
A senior official said: “We all know that the threat is not going to go away in a month and recovering from the losses and getting back to work will take time. A daily wage worker is the one who is hit the most in this situation and that is a huge concern among the producers. So, a committee is being formed to disburse funds to the right people.”
Analyst Nahta raised a pertinent point: “Everybody is talking about losses but my major concern is regarding the workers. Why can’t the big stars, whose annual earnings go up to Rs Rs 500 crore donate Rs 1 crore each. That will solve the problems of all our workers.”
Stars in isolation
Bollywood celebrities are going into self quarantine to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
Amitabh Bachchan took to social media to announce how those in home quarantine are getting inked by the government. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and husband Anand Ahuja, who have returned from overseas, are also in self quarantine, as is Anup Jalota on coming back from his Europe tour.
Arjun Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan too are staying home. Kareena recently cancelled the shoot of an ad film. The top stars are also bringing back their children from outside the country.
Several stars, including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Neha Kakkar, Sonali Bendre, Bipasha Basu, and Sunil Grover, were scheduled to fly to the US to perform at events. AR Rahman had planned a tour in June. An iconic tour of the 90s stars, including Madhuri Dixit, Govinda and Anil Kapoor, had also been planned. All of them are looking at postponements.
Wait for normality
As for the film releases, there is uncertainty over the film line-up.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan said: “Films like Sooryavanshi and 83 will decide on the release date only after the situation normalises. In most likelihood they will wait for at least three weeks after the theatres re-open, but the small films may take that window.
“Most of the companies have shut operations so planning releases will happen only after the people return to work. Right now there is uncertainty.”