India will temporarily stop all film, television and digital productions from March 19 through 30 as a response to the spreading novel coronavirus pandemic.
Indian media industry regulatory bodies met on Sunday and arrived at a unanimous decision to suspend production.
“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,” Kulmeet Makkar, CEO of the Producers Guild of India, told Variety.
“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: Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ “Forrest Gump” remake “Laal Singh Chaddha,” starring Aamir Khan (“Dangal”) and Kareena Kapoor (“Angrezi Medium”); and Zee Studios’ sports drama “Jersey,” starring Shahid Kapoor (“Padmaavat”) and Mrunal Thakur (“Love Sonia”).
India has recorded 113 confirmed cases of virus infection so far, and two deaths.
“Angrezi Medium,” starring Irrfan Khan (“Life of Pi”), was released as scheduled on March 13, but collections took a hit as many cinemas were closing their doors. They began shutting from March 11 in Kerala, followed by Jammu and Kashmir on March 12, and other states after that.
Several big-ticket releases, including “Sooryavanshi,” an extension of the “Singham” franchise, starring Bollywood A-listers Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, and multi-lingual historical epic “Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea,” starring Mohanlal, have been postponed indefinitely.
The annual Indian Premier League cricket tournament has been postponed to April 15. The South African cricket team’s tour of India has been called off.