COVID-19: BMC Directs Film City to Stop All Shoots Immediately

Producers bodies had earlier decided to suspend the shooting from 19 March and 31 March

The BMC has directed Mumbai’s Film City to stop all shoots on its premises.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter; Instagram)

The novel coronavirus outbreak in India continues to affect the entertainment industry as measures are being put in place to contain its spread.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday, 16 March, issued a directive to Mumbai's Film City to suspend shooting at its premises with immediate effect. Subhash Shantaram Borkar, Joint Managing Director of Film City, confirmed the news to Pinkvilla saying that the shooting of The Kapil Sharma Show and Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial Gangubai Kathiawadi, as well as several Hindi and Marathi serials, has been cancelled in compliance with the orders.

“The coronavirus which has spread across the world has affected certain areas of our state. To stop the spread of the virus BMC has sent an order, which should be executed with immediate effect,” reads the notice sent to Film City. 

A copy of the notice sent to Film City.

The order comes a days after the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association decided to suspend the shooting of films, TV serials and web series from 19 March and 31 March, following a government advisory to shut down cinema halls, educational institutes and cultural events in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Sushant Singh, actor and General Secretary of the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) had earlier told The Quint that he received information that the Mumbai Police was cracking down on film and TV shoots at Film City. “I got a message this morning that shoots at Film City were stopped by the Mumbai Police who came with some court order thereby suspending all shoots immediately,” he said.