To film or not to in COVID times

The reported death of a TV set crew ( Sab TV show Bhakharwadi) member has again brought into sharp focus the perils of shooting in COVID times. However,it is not that cut and dry. There are a host of valid reasons to keep shooting. 1. How long can you shutter down an economic sector which employs thousands? 2. Daily wager earners ka kya hoga? 3. All possible safety norms are in place. 4. Reporting to set is voluntary. You can opt-out if feeling unsafe as several actors have done so. 5. Insurance is mandatory just in case. 6. The govt is also unlocking for how will we make ends meet? 7. The death rate is only 2%, and more than three fourth of all reported cases are asymptomatic. Having said that all any death is too much, will all the above points provide any solace to tailor’s family who passed away. Will the insurance money make up for lost life. Right now, there is no demand for immediate suspension of the shoot, for the deceased is just another unit hand. However, all bets will off, if any known actor becomes the coronavirus’s next victim. Chances of which are luckily very less with this scourge mostly targeting people above the age groups of 40 and those having comorbidities. Therefore supporting senior actors in the 40-65 age group are at most risk.(above 65 cant shoot) I am sure the stakeholder must have considered all these factors before restarting( Can’t afford to go into lockdown again ) Naysayers will demand a return lockdown. However, I am in two minds getting both the points, i.e. life is essential but so is the livelihood. I am glad that I am not to asked to weigh on this age-old moral vs economic argument.

Vivian Dsena and Nia Sharma to sizzle Bigg Boss 14?

Vivian Dsena and Nia Sharma to sizzle Bigg Boss 14? Since Bigg Boss 13 was such a monster hit, there are enormous expectations from the next season of this big-ticket Colors reality hosted by Salman Khan (He might not be physically present due to COVID 19 restrictions) The main USP of this voyeuristic presentation has always been the right mix of housemates. There have been seasons when the combination did not fall right, leading to a drop in numbers. But 2019-20 outing was spot on, Siddharth Shukla sparing with Rashami Desai and Asim Riaz. , Paras Chhabra- Mahira Sharma - Shehnaz Gill love triangle, and last but not least, Devoleena Bhattacharjee doing her thing etc. stole the hearts and minds of the audience giving the show a month’s extension. Like every year this time around too, there is speculation regarding possible names who will be locked in the Film City house. Among the most prominent names doing the rounds this year, is brooding tv heartthrob Vivian Dsena. Would the channel also try to rope in ex-wife Vahbiz Dorabjee or Shakti co-star Garima Jain with wh Vivian was earlier linked up to add spice? One thing we don’t get usually get TV actors on top of their game fight shy of getting locked in BB. Here Vivian is still sitting pretty at the top of the heap; maybe channel is paying him a bomb? Preferably in this connection, the name of Sasural Genda Phoo lead Jay Soni makes better sense for off late his career trajectory was going nowhere. The rumour mills were abuzz suggesting that entry of Sushmita Sen’ brother Rajeev Sen, who is more in the news regarding his marriage with TV actor Charu Asopa( first PDA, then trouble in paradise) Rajeev has flatly denied the above abuzz. Can we take his refusal at face value (Maybe he has signed an NDA?_On the flip side, we might perhaps see Charu, which would work better for Big Boss is a more tube actors hunting ground. If Rajeev/ Charu does make, it will be fun to see them do online PDA reports suggest that for the first time contestant can connect with loved ones using the phone/social media Apart from Vivian the other name to get most traction would TV bombshell Nia Sharma who will soon finish her stint in other Colors supernatural saga Naagin 4.Nia’s glamorous outfits and energetic personality will add heft to the house. We wonder if Endemol can bring back her ex Kushal Tandon( Reportedly had a thing during Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai) for a short time. If mastermind Vikas Gupta can return, why not others?? Another name doing the rounds is cine and now web actor Adhyayan Suman. He can bring lots of eyeballs talking about his very tough B- Town journey and yes his long time ago relationship with none other current public personality #1 Kangana Ranaut. Interestingly Adhyayan's dad Shekhar Suman is also joining Kangy and others in demanding a CBI probe in Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Singer comedian Sughanda Mishra(Comedy Nights with Kapil) can sure add fun to the proceedings. =The names of Avinash Mishra ( Balika Vadhu) and Mishal Raheja( Ishq Ka Rang Safed) to have featured in the possible list. But no really know whether they or any or all of the entire above list, will make the final cut or no?

TV still going strong

Today is a red-letter day in desi TV, for we are now getting a clearer picture of where we stand after a three-month COVID hiatus. There was great fear of the tube losing audiences to the new web medium. OTT bosses also pulled all stops to take advantage of zero fresh content on traditional platforms, i.e. big and small screen. TV channels and production houses have had to fight against all the odds first to get restart permissions and then film in a secure environment. Despite all efforts, few actors did catch the bug halting shoots for short periods. Many actors have even refused to shoot citing health fears. Huge loses due to no show for three months have seen channels slash budgets, forcing the makers to pass on the damage downstream to actors and unit hands. A lead friend says, first, she would charge 50K per day now, but now is not getting more than 20K for new outings. So let's see how the thing stands this first Thur morning, TV equivalent to board exams. More significant rating offerings like Choti Sarrdaarni and Bhagyas (spin-off series) have taken a toll, e.g. Kundali Bhagya which was clocking around 3.5 TVR before the lockdown has fallen to 2.2. Similarly, the above Colors show is now down to 1.7, a loss of near one full point (2.7 before). The shows below Two TVR thresholds ie Barrister Babu(Colors) and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (Star Plus) have more or less held their ground. Yeh Hai Chahatein though has dropped 0.5 ( to 1.4), even other average fares like Qubaan Hua( Zee) have shed the same number to end this week at 1TVR. Some of the lower rating presentation like Madam Sir has not lost any value. Coming to new series, while Anupama has opened well, Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 has a very steep climb ahead. So moral of the story, while there has been some loss of audience the chasm is not very vast, so good content can see the tube get back to former glory. Naysayers who were predicting the demise of what they call the Idiot Box will have to eat their words. PS. Will do a separate story on non-fiction genre once more reality shows numbers come in.