Coronavirus: India Shuts Down Film & TV Production As More Cinemas Go Dark; Amitabh Bachchan Urges Fans Not To Gather
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India is to shut down film and TV production from March 19-31, in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
The move, which is likely to cost the country millions of dollars, was agreed by multiple Indian movie bodies, including the Producers Guild of India and India’s Director’s Guild, which posted the notices on social media.
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Producers already on shoots both in India and overseas have been given three days to wrap up work. Among the productions impacted are Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ Forrest Gump remake Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan.
Bollywood releases more than 1,000 movies each year but a handful of big movies due to be released in coming weeks have now been pushed back.
A rising number of cinemas are going dark across the country in response to the health crisis. Kerala, with a population of 35m, is among states to shutter cinemas. Indian capital Delhi has done the same.
As of March 16, India has confirmed a total of 110 cases and two deaths in the country.
Meanwhile, Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan has asked fans not to gather outside his house in Mumbai. The gatherings have become a fan ritual every Sunday but Bachchan has asked fans to “take precautions and be safe”.
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