It broke our hearts when lockdown brought Angrezi Medium's start at the box office to an abrupt halt. But things are even direr for films that were under production. Sets of many films are lying barren which is leading to losses for the makers. As per Mid-Day's report, the makers of Kangana Ranaut's Thalaivi has already incurred a loss of Rs 5 crore due to the lockdown in terms of maintenance cost of the sets and the studio rent. A source revealed to the daily, "Our team's safety is our priority. We had paid [the studio] for March but were unable to shoot for a single day in Hyderabad. It's uncertain when the lockdown will be lifted. Even if we get a 10-day window, we will finish shooting the outdoor portions." Coronavirus Outbreak: Kangana Ranaut Donates Rs 5 Lakh Each to FEFSI and Daily Wage Workers of Team Thalaivi
Two huge sets in Hyderabad and Chennai are not in use due to the lockdown. If the latter gets extended further, the producers are afraid that the sets will be ruined by rains. Speaking to the daily, producer Shailesh R Singh says, "We need to wrap up the film before the rains hit. Since they are outdoor set-up, they will be ruined in the monsoon. Reconstructing the set will be an expensive affair."
The Parliament House was constructed in a Hyderabad studio. Producer, Vishnu Vardhan Induri adds here, "We have recreated Mount Road at the AVM Studio in Chennai, and had planned a patchwork shoot there. Almost 40 percent of the movie is left to be filmed." The Hyderabad shoot was cancelled due to the pandemic.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2020 04:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).