IFTDA suggests changes in Maha govt's guidelines for resumption of film production; Read

President of the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), Ashoke Pandit has issued a statement in response to the Maharashtra State Government's resolution for restarting the media and entertainment industry. He has thanked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through the letter and also revisited two distinct clauses in the guiding principles issued by him. Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the official statement through his Twitter handle earlier on Tuesday.

Have a look:

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Through the letter, Indian film and Television Directors' Association has requested the state government to revisit the clauses which state that 'any person above the age of 65 years will not be allowed to work' and another that claims that a doctor and a nurse should be stationed at each shooting premise. Pandit has pointed out that many of the veteran actors of the industry including actors Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Dharmendra, Pankaj Kapur, Jackie Shroff and many others are all above 65 years and have been actively working in the industry.

He also suggested a change in the availability of doctors and nurses by pointing out that instead of stationing them at each shooting premise, it would be practical to make them available area wise at the shooting locations. The state government on Sunday issued a detailed set of guidelines for the resumption of media entertainment activities in Maharashtra. The standard operating principles enable the Indian film industry to restart production, but under a controlled environment.

Ashoke Pandit shared the official statement of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and expressed gratitude for allowing the industry to resume operations keeping everyone's safety in mind.

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Guiding principles

As part of the set of new rules, the government has said that producers will have to conduct pre-production and post-production by adhering to the guidelines laid down by the government. A session on educating and sensitising employees on the sets or studios and also in post-production edit facilities will have to be scheduled. Once the entire team is made aware of the rules, any violation of the rules will lead to the stopping of the work.

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Social distancing norms will have to be followed strictly with a focus on personal hygiene. A crowd cannot be allowed to be gathered while shooting is on. Norms have to be adhered to while using the air conditioning system (on sets) with focus on as much ventilation as possible. The guidelines also include a set of precautions to be taken while transporting shooting equipment, artists and technicians.

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