Good News! Maharashtra government permits films & serial shootings in non-containment zones

The Maharashtra government on Sunday permitted shootings for films, TV serials, advertisements, OTT, etc in non-containment zones as reported by news agency IANS. The decision came as many producers, actors and other delegations made an appeal to  Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray last week.

With the initiative #MissionBeginAgain, the state government had issued a separate set of guidelines for the film industry. To resume the shoots, they will be required to submit their applications to the Maharashtra Films, Theatre and Cultural Development Corporation at the Dadasaheb Phalke Film City, Goregaon, or at the district collectorates concerned across the state, said an official to the news agency.

The official said, “After scrutinising the applications, the concerned authority will give the go-ahead for the shooting proposals. They will have to adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines issued separately for the purpose.”

The state government issued a 16-page long set of guidelines for producers to follow. The guidelines are to create awareness among all stakeholders, managing coronavirus risks on the sets/studios and editing facilities, casting and artiste management, production offices, trailers, tents, crowd control and physical distancing, handling of equipments, operations controls, actors and junior artistes, contestants for non-fiction shows, staffing, location departments, shoot management, art department, wardrobe, on-set communication, camera, video village setup, sound, electric/grip departments, catering. Also, travel to be minimised with at least one month stay wherever possible and everyone should go for quarantine for 14 days after return.

All the crew members will have to follow the norms of social distancing and hygiene while shooting.

We met the CM Shri @uddhavthackeray ji last week. He promised to do his best for the entertainment industry. And here we are . Shootings set to restart, even before we imagined.
The industy can not thank you enough, Sir. The wait for fresh content is about to end. 🙏

— JDMajethia (@JDMajethia) May 31, 2020

All shoots were stalled from March 24 due to the nationwide lockdown.

Also Read: Producers Guild thanks Maharashtra CM for considering requests to resume film and TV shoots safely