The Covid-19 pandemic has currently put the world into a frenzy, with authorities in affected countries emphasizing self-isolation and social distancing. As a result, social gatherings are being prohibited which has resulted in the cancellation of various concerts and has also put a halt to movie screenings.
Whereas actors’ guilds such as Actors Collective Trust have called for a suspension of all shoots, some senior members of the film fraternity such as Humayun Saeed have called for such restrictions to be imposed with caveats, with exceptions being made for television productions scheduled to go on air within a few weeks. In the absence of any formal directive from the government or a trade union, filmmakers have been left to their own devices when it comes to deciding on whether to continue with a shoot.
Curtains temporarily called
Parde Me Rehne Do is the latest production from Wajahat Rauf and stars Hania Amir and Ali Rehman Khan as the leads. Rauf recently announced halting the film’s shoot owing to the potential health threats to the cast and crew involved. The director took to his Instagram handle to share that despite the financial risks involved, the film’s shooting schedule has been delayed. The team shot during the last few days with the required precautionary measures on the sets such as masks for the entire crew.
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Meanwhile, leading star and filmmaker Humayun Saeed wrapped the Pakistan spell of his upcoming romantic drama London Nahi Jaunga, which constitutes the vast majority of the shoot. According to Saeed, the remaining production work will take place in London, with the shoot scheduled to commence in May, as per the film’s original schedule. Whether that goes ahead as planned depends on the trajectory the Covid-19 pandemic takes in the coming few months.
Saeed managed to stay in the news for other reasons too. The Punjab Nahi Jaungi star traveled to the US last week for a meet and greet session along with his Meray Paas Tum Ho co-stars Hira Mani and Adnan Siddiqui. Following his return to the homeland, he has quarantined inside a hotel room, as has co-star Adnan Siddiqui, for the next 14 days to assure the safety of his family and peers. The two have decided to get themselves tested for the virus during their hotel stay.
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Nabeel Qureshi’s next production Fatman’s shoot has also been stalled. The film stars Ahmed Ali Butt in the titular role. Nabeel issued a statement on Twitter confirming the latest development. He said: “Surrounded by concern regarding COVID-19, we at FilmWala Pictures have made the decision to postpone the shoot of our film Fatman.”
“Surrounded by concern regarding COVID-19, We at FilmWala Pictures have made the decision to postpone the shoot of our film "Fatman" We take the health and safety of our crew and actors seriously, In the meanwhile let’s pray for a healthier and safer world #coronavirusinpakistan
— Nabeel Qureshi (@nabeelqureshi) March 17, 2020
Work on the upcoming Saba Qamar comedy, Ghabrana Nahi Hai, which had only recently commenced its production, has also been temporarily halted. Producer Hassan Zia confirmed the news, saying some initial portions were shot on a set in Karachi, following which the outbreak intensified.
Meanwhile, Yasir Nawaz told Galaxy Lollywood that the shoot for his upcoming thriller Chakkar starring Neelam Munir and Ahsan Khan has also been temporarily paused, after the completion of about a week’s worth of work.
Some shoots go on, others wrap up in time
Mohsin Abbas Haider’s comeback vehicle Once Upon A Time in Karachi, which also stars Nausheen Shah has wrapped up its production earlier than expected to ensure the safety of the team before the health crisis escalates. Director Abu Aleeha also posted a picture of him and his peers wearing the mask on his social media accounts and asked his fans to be safe.
Ayesha Omar cleared the air regarding sitcom Bulbulay’s shoot following social media’s concern about the show’s shooting schedule during such risky times. The actress shared that since it’s a weekly sitcom, it has to be shot every week otherwise huge financial losses will be incurred hence the team shot with just 12 cast and crew members, also mentioning that they might be wrapping up the same day.
Actors are vocal
Kubra Khan recently shared a video suggesting that film shoots need to be stopped keeping in view the health risks. Singer Danyal Zafar has also decided to isolate himself and maintain social distancing until he gets himself checked since he recently traveled from America following his album launch. Director-producer, Rafay Rashdi took a dig at drama producers for continuing the shoots despite the alarming situation. He said that equipping sets with sanitizers isn’t sufficient enough.
The unfortunate fact is that Karachi, the entertainment industry’s hub in Pakistan is at the center of the corona outbreak in the country. Meanwhile, Ali Zafar in an Instagram story suggested that crew members shouldn’t report to the sets even if the producers ask them to.
We hope that the industry manages to cope with the situation in a timely manner and that the entertainment business returns to normal at the earliest.
