Film shoots, as we knew, will not be the same post the pandemic. Apart from following the guidelines prescribed by the government, according to a report by Mid-Day, Ellipsis Entertainment‘s Atul Kasbekar and Tanuj Garg have initiated talks with legal firms to get COVID insurance for their future projects, thus setting an example for the Hindi film industry at large.
‘Loop Lapeta’, starring Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin is an Indian adaptation of ‘Run Lola Run’, a German cult film.
Talking about the decision, Atul said that they are at the beginning stages of preparing the insurance plan.
Elaborating on it, Mid-Day quoted the producer saying—
We are in talks with the legal expert, Anand Desai of DSK Legal. Insuring a film so far implied guarding the product against unforeseen incidents like the illness of an actor or occurrence of natural calamities leading to delays in the schedule. Since COVID is a new development, we are working out the details of what the insurance plan should entail. Hypothetically, if a crew member tests positive, the entire unit will have to be quarantined, leading to the shoot being halted. If the film is covered under the insurance plan, the producers will not incur a financial loss stemming from the delay.
The producer further said that the insurance plan will be designed for the actors and the crew as well.
Talking about it, Atul said—
Every filmmaker trusts a certain set of people on the job. So, in case, the DoP [director of photography] were to test positive mid-film, the shoot is likely to be stalled till he recovers.” He adds that if a suitable replacement is found in the interim, both the technicians will be duly compensated basis the number of days they have worked on the project.