Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asked the film and television producers to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 norms laid down by the State government and coordinate with police authorities about the place of shoot as well as extension for timings.
Mr. Thackeray held a virtual meeting with the members of film producers guild where he asked them to ensure norms are followed, crew members are vaccinated and routine tests for the virus are conducted.
“We are not interested in restricting your work but we are witnessing cases in States like Maharashtra and Kerala. Therefore, COVID tests after regular intervals, hospitalisation of an individual with symptoms and most importantly vaccinating the person with both doses are extremely important.”
He has directed the Mumbai police to appoint a nodal officer to whom producers will submit the shooting timetable, location and timings. “Permissions will be given once the officer is satisfied that all precautions are being taken.”
The guild members said the shootings of Hindi and Marathi films and television series have been going on by following all norms, but timings need to be extended and permission for shooting after 4 P.M. is also required. It told Mr. Thackeray that shooting beyond 4 P.M. is possible by taking all precautions and following rules. Filmmakers Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra, Ritesh Sidhwani, Ravi Jadhav, Nagraj Manjule and Subodh Bhave and others participated in the meeting.
