Tollywood on high alert as viral infections surge

Kolkata has been in the grip of a cocktail of viruses, including adenovirus, for more than a month now. A major part of the city’s population has been down with some form of fever, cough and cold in recent times. And that includes many actors and crew members of film and TV production units. The filming of Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan had to be halted for a few days recently as some members of the team went down with fever. We spoke to a few production units about the precautions they are taking to avoid a shooting shutdown. Read on...

Masks, sanitisers, health checks to keep crew safe
Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, who started shooting for their Mimi Chakraborty-Abir Chatterjee starrer Raktabeej recently, told us that they are taking several precautions to keep the team safe. “Fri-day was the third day of the shoot. So, we’ve just begun. It’s a very big team and both Didi (Nandita Roy) and I want everyone to remain safe. The film will mostly be shot outdoors, so staying healthy is key in this weather. Everyone is sanitising regularly. Two days before the shoot, our chief assistant director, Aritra Mukherjee, caught a cold and we made sure he wore a mask to the shoot for the first two days. He has recovered completely and no one else has any problem now,” said Shiboprosad.
Pritam Chowdhury, line producer of Arun Roy’s Baghajatin, which stars Dev, added that people have been asked to wear masks on the sets if they are suffering from cold. “Use of sanitisers is a must. We’re also ensuring that every member of the team remains hydrated,” he said.
Ram Kamal Mukherjee, who plans to resume the Binodiini… shoot this weekend, said, “Keeping the health and safety of the actors and technicians in mind, we’ll be fumigating the entire location. Everyone will be provided with disposable masks and the vanity van of the stars, makeup rooms, and washrooms will be sanitised every three hours. We’ll also provide sanitisers to all senior members have asked our caterer to ensure hygiene.”
Mainak Bhaumik, who’ll start shooting for Chini 2 next week, is making all arrangements to ensure that the team stays safe throughout the shoot. “The whole team is undergoing medical check-ups so that everyone is healthy during the shoot. A doctor will be on the set to attend to emergencies. Moreover, the cast and crew have been asked to wear masks if anyone suffers from cold,” shared Mainak.
Extra care for child actors
Anupam Hari, director of the serial, Anurager Chowa, told us that they are taking extra precautions because they have two child actors on set. “The whole team is making sure that both children are taken care of, as children are more susceptible to adenovirus infections. We’ve also instructed anyone suffering from the flu should inform us immediately and take leave till they recover. We assure them that they won’t be replaced,” Anupam told us.
The team of Khelna Bari are taking similar precautions. “Those team members suffering from flu have been asked to take a break. We’re also sanitising the whole floor and makeup room. All have also been advised to wear masks,” said Snehasis Jana, the serial’s director.


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