MUMBAI: It has been close to one month since the state government allowed film and television shooting in Maharashtra. This was a sigh of relief to several new shows that were left in the lurch due to the lockdown including Zee TV’s Qurbaan Hua, which had just started on 25 February.
In a special chat with indiantelevision.com, Full House Films founder and Tujhse Hai Raabta, Qurbaan Hua producer Amir Jaffer says, “We are implementing the guidelines laid by the state government and TV channels. We have insured everybody on the set against Covid2019. Everybody is working with face masks and face shields. Apart from that, make up artists and camerapersons are using PPE kits. As a smaller number of people are allowed on the set, we are planning our shooting on that basis. To showcase a greater number of people in the scene we are using separate footages and cuts of people.”
To maintain social distancing and safety Jaffer is ensuring cast and crew members are carrying their own meal while only tea is served on the set. Food cost is being incurred by the production house itself. The studio is currently working with 60 members and no junior artists are called on the set.
For Jaffer the biggest concern is to safeguard the health of cast and crew. As a practice, the studio is recording the temperature of cast and crew when they arrive and after the pack up.
He also mentions that outdoor shoots are not happening currently, as it will require permission from district collectors and state authorities. The scenes are being shot with different camera angles. Family gathering, weddings and crowd scenes are not happening at all.
Jaffer thinks that the look of the show will be compromised because there will be no grandeur. Special episodes of parties, weddings and dancing used to garner more traction which is not possible now. The stories are designed only considering the main actors. However, it will allow audiences to concentrate more on the storyline.
He also points out that there is no lag in the output of shows. Time-consuming scenes are avoided to meet the deadline. “We are also incorporating pandemic situations in our scripts. We also did a lockdown show with our actors. Everybody did the shooting by themselves in their own home.”
Meanwhile, Jaffer has reopened his office with just four to five people. Instead of calling people at the office for auditions, the casting is happening online.
The working hour shift remains the same. Considering the curfew rule in Maharashtra, shift timings are 7 am to 7 pm so that cast and crew members can reach home before 9 pm. A 12-hour shift for the production unit and actors are called on the set only when required.
