Producer Siddharth Anand Kumar: “All efforts on to make sets corona-free & fully sanitised”

With the pandemic showing little signs of slowing down in some parts of the country and the lockdown in effect till 17th May 2020, film producers are thinking of how best to adopt a long standing approach to ensure hygiene standards and safety condition on film sets. Siddharth Anand Kumar, VP, Filmsand Events at Saregama, feels that film sets being democratic places with large gatherings, the risk of passing on the infection is higher and it is best that long-term measure be applied.

His production house Yoodlee Films has worked on a detailed plan for the time ahead, keeping everyone’s safety in mind. “To begin with, we are planning to distribute water bottles with people’s names on them so that they are not shared. We will also keep sanitisers at various nooks and corners which will ensure that all can clean their hands regularly. Additionally, we will be distributing masks. Am sure, people will come to the sets with their masks on, but we will also hand them over as a a precautionary measure.” Yoodlee Films’ safety measures do not end there. The company is mulling over installing spraying columns so that anyone entering the sets gets disinfected right at the start and the whole set can breathe a little easy. “We are actively also considering cab services for those who use public transport. Shared transport does not seem a healthy option at this point,” added Siddharth.

Despite putting these practices in place, Kumar expects many challenges to surface. “With the large number of migrant workers having gone back to their home towns it might be difficult to find labour. Not just that, experts tell us that a big chunk of people could also be asymptomatic which means they don’t show symptoms, and that would be make hiring decisions extremely difficult,” the Yoodlee Films head shares his concern.

Kumar add that resuming shooting itself will be one demanding exercise given the hurdles at every step. But he is quick to clarify that the the incentives for producers and filmmakers to restart work are many. “Am certain inventory may have spiked. There are probably many shows ready and looking at OTT platforms for release. At the same time producers will not want to ready many more projects given the list of those already in the wings.”