EXCLUSIVE: Tiger 3, Pathan, Ram Setu, Raksha Bandhan: Bollywood shoots expected to kick-off post June 15
Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham among others looking to get back on their feet from next month with indoor shoots in Mumbai. Details
In April, right after the country was hit by second wave of pandemic, various state governments announced a lockdown and the same led to multiple film shoots being put on hold. The lockdown and rise in cases also led to the cancellation of overseas schedules that the producers had planned for their respective films. And now, Pinkvilla has got an exclusive update as industry insiders reveal that they are optimistic that the Maharashtra state government will permit the film shoots to resume in June.
"The cases in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai have gone down. Various film associations are in constant touch with State Government officials and if everything goes as planned, the next unlock provision will give a green signal to film shoots and the industry will be back on their feet from June 15," revealed a source close to the development, adding further that over 50,000 of daily wage workers are out of job, struggling for their livelihood and with cases going down, the cycle might just start again by next month. The basic ground work to resume work has begun, with some directors working on the prep in isolation from their respective home.
"The film bodies have promised that all Covid protocols will be followed. In-fact, multiple production houses and top names of the industry are also in talks with government to explore the possibility of getting the entire film industry vaccinated to curb the spread of Covid," the source added. Among the films which will go on the floors as soon as the restrictions are lifted include - the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger 3, the Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham project, Pathan, alongside two Akshay Kumar films, Ram Setu and Raksha Bandhan, the sets of which are up in Mumbai. Pathan and Tiger team is also expected to fly abroad soon in the months to come.
Apart from the aforementioned 4 biggies, there are many more films which are just waiting for a go ahead from the government to get back on the sets. This includes the Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandana starrer Good Bye alongside the battle royal between John Abraham and Arjun Kapoor in Ek Villain. We await the official announcement from the government and the film industry now. As far as cinema halls are concerned, it's still wait and watch scenario as an insider informs that like last year, cinema’s will open in a phased manner and it's still some time before we reach the 100% occupancy. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more.