Broadcasters & producers meet CM Uddhav Thackeray to discuss commencement of shoots

After meeting the representatives of the Marathi entertainment industry, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a virtual meeting with a close-knit group, comprising broadcasters and key TV producers, on Friday.
The 45-minute-long discussion centred around how the lockdown has impacted the business. The meeting, organised by the Indian Broadcasters Federation, was attended by NP Singh, Puneet Goenka, K Madhavan, Rahul Joshi, J D Majethia, Nitin Vaidya, Ekta Kapoor and Deepak Dhar, among others.Seems, the Chief Minister referred to hit songs like Aanewala Pal Jaanewala Hai and Ek Do Teen… to lighten up the chat.
Producer-actor JD Majethia, the chairman of the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (TV and Web Division), told us, “As producers, we highlighted the loss of jobs and the fatigue that is setting in with reruns on TV. Now that Kerala and Karnataka are on the verge of resuming shoots in their states, we could also look at rebooting operations. On his part, the CM voiced his concerns about red zones in the state. He was clear that the sets should not be anywhere near residential areas. He has set up a team that will examine all the locations that are currently under our consideration. Observing social distancing regulations and following the health advisories will be a must for us, which we have assured him of. All the affiliated organisations for technicians, actors and workers have formed a consolidated list of standard operating procedures, a part of which has already been shared with the CM. The remaining will be submitted next week. We also talked about setting up monsoon sheds for the sets and fire safety preparations before any shoot commences.”
Producer Nitin Vaidya, who has been a part of both the meetings held with Uddhav Thackeray, added, “Discussions have also been held about starting post-production work with safety measures in place. The CM is clear that the entertainment capital must get back on its feet and he does not want any producer to head out of the state to commence shooting. He is geared up to help us in every way possible. He has already initiated the process by putting a team in place to help us find a workable solution to our issues.”