IMPPA dispels rumours of shoot restart, says no decision yet

Image Courtesy: IANS

Mumbai: Dispelling reports that shooting of films and television shows is going to start soon in Mumbai with a new set of rules, Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) declared that all such news is false and no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

Unconfirmed reports had been doing the rounds since last evening, especially on WhatsApp, specifying names of office bearers of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and stating that shooting of TV serials shall start around June-end.

Issuing a statement, IMPPA president TP Aggarwal clarified: "To verify the authenticity of the news, as no such decision or guidelines have ever been agreed to by all the Producers' Associations, the undersigned spoke to Mr. Ashok Dubey, Gen Secretary of FWICE who informed that all such news and information of such decisions and guidelines being implemented by FWICE was totally false and baseless as no such decision has been taken till date. FWICE also confirmed that no such decision or guideline shall be finalized unless all the Producers' Associations agree to the same."

The statement further read: "Therefore, we have to inform all producers and everyone else concerned with the film and entertainment industry that any decision or guideline relating to the industry restarting after Coronavirus or any such the matter shall be valid and subsisting only if the same is countersigned and authenticated besides FWICE by all the Producers' Association's including by President of IMPPA."

The circulated WhatsApp message mentioned that FWICE has issued guidelines that an inspector and an ambulance would have to be present on every set at all times and, though only 50 per cent workers will be allowed to work, the producer would have to pay all workers. The message added that if anything untoward happens to any worker due to coronavirus, the concerned producer would have to pay compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the affected worker.

IMPPA has urged media and every member of the film trade not to pay heed tpo these unconfirmed reports or spread such information, especially in the time of the global pandemic.