COVID-19’S toll on Bollywood- Industry to suffer a major financial loss

Ritu Yadav.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis followed by the national lockdown has paved way to a catastrophe, as the first time in the history of Indian cinema the entire box office is worst hit. The coronavirus pandemic has brought the Indian film industry to a standstill as shootings for film, television, web series, other entertainment programs have been halted followed by postponement of big releases, theatres being shut down. As a result the media and entertainment industry daily wage workers are battling for survival.
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the entertainment industry across the world. On March 12, Reliance Entertainment postponed Rohit Shetty’s film Sooryavanshi. The film  was scheduled to release on March 24. This was followed by Sir, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Haathi Mere Sathi and 83 others getting postponed too. Baaghi 3 saw fewer takers in its second week, and Irrfan Khan’s Angrezi Medium had to be pulled out of theatres. It eventually released on OTT platform Disney+Hotstar. Similarly a lot of big ticket releases in regional languages have also been delayed.
Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) and Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) decided to halt shooting of movies, TV shows and web series. Major production houses like Balaji Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions and Yash Raj Films also promptly called off all production activity. Amid this, various state governments ordered the closing down of cinema halls. Prime Minister Narendra modi’s announcement on March 24 of a 21-day national lockdown has sealed the fate of several projects.
As the WHO declared the COVID-19 as a pandemic, the film bodies FWICE and IFTDA decided to halt the entertainment programs and shootings.
Brahmastra, a much-awaited movie starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt too halted production. Shahid Kapoor’s Jersey, a remake of the Telugu hit of the same name, also suspended shooting to ensure the safety of its crew members.

बॉयज लॉकर रूम मामले में सनसनीखेज खुलासा, लड़के नहीं, लड़की ने की थी गैंगरेप की बात
“I don’t understand how they will manage Gangubai’s production now. Its set has been created in Film City and it will start raining in June,” said veteran actor Seema Pahwa who plays a role in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Gangubai Kathiawadi. “I am sitting at home when I was supposed to shoot for another film and a web series. The stuff that we have committed to till December will also get pushed. The entire schedule goes for a toss, and we cannot sign new work.”
Alok Tandon, CEO of INOX Leisure Ltd, stated that to resume the activities along with maintaining social distancing, one will have to think differently. “Cross-allocation of seats is one measure. Another measure can be to programme the shows in such a manner that entries, intermissions and exits of two shows do not occur simultaneously,” he said, adding that this will also will help ensure that the food counters, exit lobbies and restrooms do not get too crowded. “We will be deploying enhanced hygiene protocols, non-invasive temperature checks and hand sanitisers. Also, deep cleaning and disinfecting processes will continue to remain intense.”
Ashish Saksena, COO of Cinemas at BookMyShow said. “The health and safety of all – from audience to partners, production houses and execution agencies – will be of paramount importance.”
Experts estimated that the entertainment industry is suffering from a huge loss of more than a thousand crores because of the lockdown.