Allow seniors for film & TV shoots- Hema, Shabana & Paresh

Actors Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi and Paresh Rawal have sought amendment to the SOPs suggesting artists above the age of 65 should not be allowed on sets even as film and TV shoots resume and urged government to reconsider the rules as work resumed in showbiz. A media report quoted,Shabana Azmi, saying Why is this rule applied only to the film industry, and not politicians? Will they ensure that no leader above 65 will attend any political rally. What will happen to those technicians and artists involved in filmmaking who don’t run parallel businesses whereby they can make up their losses, she added.

Senior actor and BJP MP Hema Malini has written a letter to home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. Citing the examples of Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and herself, Hema has said in the letter that these senior artistes “will be restricted from completing their previous and recurring projects.”Admitting that the measure has been introduced to ensure safety of the senior artistes, Paresh Rawal also told the tabloid that producers should ensure that sets have all the necessary safety measures.”

All shootings had been stalled for almost three months since the lockdown was announced in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. The government issued guidelines and SOPs to resume shoot May 31 onwards, when the lockdown ended. However, shootings for a few TV shoots began only by June end as producers needed to ensure all safety measures, precautions in place, including medical cover for all members on sets.