Varun Badola of Sony TV show Mere Dad Ki Dulhan, is not very enthusiastic about reported plans to restart TV shoots in green zones (in other parts of Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country).
“All these talks are okay on paper but tough to implement on the ground. Tell me which safe zone administration would welcome folks from COVID 19 hotspot like Mumbai? They obviously would put us in places away from habitation which would again mean fewer infrastructure ready sets. “I am just not getting the maths, on one side you talk about slashing budgets up to 35%, and then you want to move workforce and material and erect sets. You also need to invest in PPE kits for all the unit members, where will the money come from? Despite all this, if any member tests positive, it’s game over with the entire unit landing up in quarantine.”
Indeed, fair points by Varun.
“Others also talk about shooting in Mumbai by locking the units which again won’t come cheap, add boarding and lodging to your accounts.”
When asked about possible viewership loss to TV shows across the board, Varun, who has written a couple of web shows, says, “Now it is not the time to think numbers. 2020 is all about survival. If we get through this year, we can pay attention to making money in 2021.”
Here Varun again sounds a warning bell to TV content saying “Shape up or ship out as web is catching up fast.”
He will soon feature in an upcoming Applause show Your Honour.
In closing, Varun struck a grim note noting, “I fear things going further downhill. Political mudslinging is not helping matters. A time might come when govt simply stops test fearing mass community spread. Hospital beds are already running scarce. I feel sorry for ventilator-dependent private hospital patients who have to pay through their noses.”