Film shoots dry up in DU as the capital continues to sweat

Soaring temperatures in the capital have hit the shooting schedules of films, especially in Delhi University, where films used to be shot in the summer break. To avoid Delhi’s extreme heat, instead of the summer break, filmmakers now prefer shooting in winter or during mid-semester breaks. Line producers tell us that the most-favoured months for shooting in Delhi, especially DU, are now August-October and March-April.
Summer break: No longer the favourite time to shoot in DU
While September to March is the time when rest of Delhi turns into a shooting hub, shoots in DU colleges used to be scheduled in June, when students are away on summer break. However, in the last one to two years, filmmakers have changed their preferences and wrap up shoots in Delhi before the heat gets unbearable. RP Singh, a line producer who organised the shoot of Tanu Weds Manu Returns in North Campus in June 2014, says, “Until a few years ago, both big and small production houses used to shoot in North Campus during the summer break. That’s because it was easier to get permission to shoot in colleges during the summer break, but now due to the extreme heat, film producers don’t want to shoot in Delhi at that time of the year.”
Another line producer, Javed, says, “In June 2016, we shot Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Half Girlfriend at the North Campus, including a rain sequence at St Stephen’s College. It wouldn’t have been possible to shoot a rain sequence during regular classes because of crowd management issues. After Half Girlfriend, no other film has been shot in June, either on the campus or elsewhere in the capital, as it is impossible to bear the temperature. This year, we had a schedule for shooting in colleges, too, but we finished it in April itself.”
Shraddha Kapoor in a still from 'Half Girlfriend'
‘March-April and August-October preferred months for DU shoots’
A Delhi Police official, who gives permission for shooting films in the North Campus, says, “A number of filmmakers had enquired for shooting in the North Campus during summer break last year, and for this year as well (a few months ago), but finally dropped the plans after they anticipated an extremely hot summer. Even if they had received the permission, they would have cancelled the schedule later.”
As most colleges and hostels in DU are closed for summer vacations, crowd management is not an issue. But, instead of summer break, filmmakers go for either winter or mid-semester breaks. From Kabir Singh to Panga, the shoot schedules in colleges of DU were completed by mid-April, when the heat was still bearable.
A line producer says, “A couple of days ago, Delhi recorded a temperature of 48 degrees Celsius. Now, it seems like summer break shoots in DU will soon become a thing of the past. Filmmakers have already adjusted their shooting schedules in Delhi and they schedule shoots for the months when there is neither extreme heat nor extreme levels of pollution. The favoured months for shooting in Delhi are August-October and March-April, and we plan the shoots in DU also in these months only.”
The shooting of Kabir Singh on DU campus wrapped up by mid-April, when the heat was still bearable
No shoots in Delhi before August: Line producers
“At present, not even a single film is being shot in Delhi. In June, when we were shooting for an ad campaign at the Red Fort, seven crew members were affected by the heat and had to be admitted to hospital. Had it been the film’s cast, it would have become a bigger deal. Which filmmaker would dare to shoot in this heat? Even for the films that were shot in Delhi in March and April, arrangements were made for cans of lassi, buttermilk and cold drinks to keep the crew hydrated for outdoor shoots. Though films are not being shot currently, a few ad campaigns were shot here in June. While giving the permission, Delhi Police asked us to keep an ambulance ready each time, because the shoots were outdoors,” a line producer says. Ravi Sarin, also a line producer, adds, “No shoots are lined up in Delhi anytime soon due to heat. Next shoots are planned closer to August.”