How is television coping with the spike in Covid cases?

Apart from films, the TV industry has also been impacted by the recent spike in Covid positive cases. We talk to makers and actors about how they are coping with this.

While we talk about how the film industry has been impacted hard by the ongoing Covid pandemic, the Hindi television industry has been equally affected. With a rise in the number of positive cases, Indian Films & TV Producers Council recently declared that all producers of ongoing will conduct RT-PCR/Antigen tests immediately on the entire crew. This consisted of about 90 shows.

Stills from the shows Anupamaa and Wagle Ki Duniya.

JD Majethia, Chairman, TV division of IFTPC, and producer of the on-air show Wagle Ki Duniya tells us despite the best of precautions, a few members of the team managed to catch the virus. “The situation in Mumbai is really challenging. Especially on TV, challenges are all around and of various kinds. TV actors are right now like frontline workers, they are essential commodity and services. If there’s an announcement of a lockdown, they would want people to stay at home who are as it is frustrated and going through stress. Atleast TV will keep them a little away from it. The entertainment sector is acting like medicine. I feel challenges are definitely there, but like essential services, it should be kept going,” he reasons.

He goes on to add that everyone needs to follow creating a bio bubble and follow strict guidelines. “It’s close to impossible to say there won’t be any Covid case altogether. On our show, cases happened 12 days back, the scenario was different then. We were following all guidelines, pata nahi kahaan se virus aaya, if artists had any lunch together, or technicians. Cases can be minimised through bio bubble,” says Majethia.

Actors on their part claim that people are indeed scared. Aishwarya Sakhuja, who currently stars in Yeh Hai Chahatein, says, “Everybody is stuck in such a catch 22 situation. All of us have suffered some or the other form of loss. For a lot of people, ek taraf kuaan hai, ek taraf khaai. Somewhere we are hoping there’s a complete lockdown, and things are shut for two weeks, but then also thinking that it is going to affect our work very badly, from producers, to spotboys, everybody in the scheme of things is going to get affected. Honestly, it is a very stressful time.”

Binaifer Kohli, producer of Jijaji Chat Par Koi Hai, reveals that she has got the mandatory recent Covid tests done for all her cast and crew. “We have always had a bio bubble. Of course, there are positive cases but we have fewer because of the bubble. I am happy the vaccinations have started. But the RTPCR labs have been running out of the swabs, that is a case of concern. In case somebody really needs the test and is positive, the treatment will get delayed. We are playing it by the ear, nobody has been able to decipher the virus. Even after the vaccine, sometimes people are getting it,” she says.

Zaan Khan, who plays the lead in Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaye, says the Covid testing is a welcome move by the producer fraternity, “They are going over and above the government regulations of conducting the RT-PCR test every fifteen days by doing a rapid antigen test every week. This will ensure a safer work environment for all of us. However, we should not let our guard down. Instead, and we should continue with the COVID protocols,” he says.

Echoing the same sentiment as Sakhuja, he adds that the television industry was relieved when the number of cases went down in January. “However, the number has started rising again and it is very worrisome. If a lockdown happens again, not only the actors but also the whole crew behind the entertainment industry will be left jobless,” confesses Khan.

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