Bollywood Media Industry Gets Permission To Resume Shooting 'With Conditions'; Details Inside

If the producers have to shoot outside the periphery of Mumbai, then they have to contact the district authorities of those areas and get permission.

Photo: AFP

Mumbai: With the announcement of Lockdown 5.0, there was an uproar in Bollywood demanding to let the media industry resume shooting of film, shows, etc. After rounds of discussions, the Maharashtra cultural department has issued a letter permitting the industry to start shooting ‘with conditions’. This comes a week after TV producers and representatives of the broadcasting industry spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through video conferencing discussing about the precautions and preparations taken by the media houses to resume for the shoot. The Chief Minister has given a green signal to the producers.  According to the official notice released by the cultural department, the TV producers, web show and ad films makers will have to apply for permission in advance to the nodal officer of Mumbai-based Film City if they have to shoot within the Mumbai city. If the producers have to shoot outside the periphery of Mumbai, then they have to contact the district authorities of those areas and get permission. As of now, the department has given permission to shoot films, TV series, web and ad films indoors. This means that currently no one will be allowed to shoot in the open and all kinds of shooting will have to be done inside the studio.  According to the letter issued by the Cultural Department on the instructions of the Maharashtra government, shooting and post-production work will have to be carried out following all the rules of lockdown and social distancing. The notice mentions that if the rules are not followed, the state government will have the right to cancel the shooting permission. Welcoming the move, Indian Film and Television Producers Council President JD Majithia told ABP News that the industry has taken a deep breath of relief after months. “We would like to express our special gratitude to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who expressed confidence in us and allowed us to start shooting. From lockdown to maintaining social distancing norms at the shooting sets, we assure to take all kinds of precautions." He further added, "We will soon meet all the institutions of the industry and take stock of the preparations of all the institutions for the commencement of shooting. We expect that we will be allowed to shoot in 48 hours after applying for permission with the respective authorities. "