There is vast chaos going on at all TV sets to beat the upcoming Coronavirus shooting lockdown by canning as many episodes as possible.
Varun Badola of Sony show Meri Dad Ki Dhulan, blames the current TV system of not having banks for most of the above-made rush. Should we return to the old system of shooting 20 days in advance?
“Earlier, everything was not dependent on TRP; instead, we went with the creative vision of the maker and yet got huge ratings.”
“Luckily on our set, there is not much stress as our storyline is not subject to last-minute change.”
“A few years ago too, TV shoots had stopped due to wage dispute strike. But now the threat is much more severe,” says he.
Talking about the disruption to the whole entertainment industry, he says, “Any kind of delay is terrible. Now all film releases will be pushed back. There will be a mad rush to get fresh dates and release windows.”
“While both producers and actors will suffer financially, the real blow will be on daily wage earners.”
When asked about some industry chatter calling the above steps as a knee- jerk, response, Varun exclaims, “No way, this infection is like a time bomb waiting to explode; we need to be ready.”
“Given the unprecedented situation where 30% of the population might get infected (WHO figure), any kind of harsh measure is less.”
“Sadly, unlike other industries, most of our jobs can’t be done at home.”
On a lighter note, Varun signed off by saying, “The virus has shut down everything, carona carona (funny take on don’t do in Hindi). The bank was already stressed, and now our TV bank is also facing the heat, “ends the actor.
Best of luck, Varun!!