India has decided to put a stop to all film, television, and digital productions in response to the coronavirus spread.
The decision was made in a meeting that took place on Sunday, March 15, 2020, in which the India media industry regulatory bodies agreed to suspend production from March 19 to March 31.
The bodies stated that the health and safety of their colleagues were paramount and that they would monitor the situation and take further decisions.
“The health and safety of our colleagues comes first, hence we completely support the industry’s united decision to suspend productions between March 19-31. We also understand financial implications of canceling shootings, however, at this stage, the priority is to ensure safety. We shall continue to monitor the situation and take further decisions accordingly.”
Productions affected include the following; Viacom 18 Motion Pictures’ Forrest Gump remake, Laal Singh Chaddha (starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor), and Zee Studios’ sports drama Jersey (with Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur.
There have been 113 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India so far, and two deaths.
Several high-profile releases have also been postponed indefinitely and the annual Indian Premier League cricket tournament has been shifted to April 15, 2020.
Additionally, the South African cricket team’s tour of India has been called off.
