The Federation of Western India Cine Employees- FWICE has taken to writing an exclusive letter to Maharashtra CM Udhhav Thackeray asking him to provide special permission to resume Television and Film production in the state. The Government had suspended all the shoots in Maharashtra from April owing to the rising cases of Coronavirus, because of which most of the shoots have moved out of the state. Now, as the Maharashtra Government has extended curb-like lockdown in the state for another fortnight, FWICE has sought special permissions to resume the shoot. In the letter sent to the Chief Minister, the FWICE has stated the Media and Entertainment sector has been severely affected due to the lockdown. It further mentions that numerous requests from FWICE have been sent to the CM regarding the resumption of work in the M & E Industry, but none have been responded to by the office. It also added that lakhs of artists, workers, and technicians have been jobless for the last year and a half and that the daily wage workers have no other source of income and hence are completely dependent on the industry for work. The FWICE said that the extension of the lockdown is a sort of setback for the producers and daily wage earners. The trade body has thus requested the CM through this communication signed by Ashoke Pandit, BN Tiwari, and other Board Members to provide special permissions to resume the filming activities in the state and has also ensured that all SOP’s shall be followed by every crew member.
