Multiple Indian movie bodies who came together to shut down film production to break the COVID-19 transmission in the country, will now join hands to assist daily wage workers in the industry.
The biggest impact of the movie and TV production shut down will be felt by the most vulnerable group of the industry, consisting of hundreds of spot boys, light assistants, set workers and other crew members who are paid a daily wage.
This largely unorganised sector will be left without any avenue to earn money as the film, television and web series shoots across the country fall victim to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
However, Indian filmmakers and various film bodies in the country have banded together to provide a solution. In a touching gesture they have planned a fund for these daily wage earners so that they are not affected by the economic fallout of the shutdown.
"The daily wages of the workers will be affected so we have decided that they will be taken care of by all the producers associations and federations. We will take care of them," Ashoke Pandit, president of Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) stated.
This was followed by a series of tweet exchanges starting with Sudhir Mishra.
Filmmakers Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap concurred and offered to help and contribute to the proposed fund.
IFTDA President Ashoke Pandit then suggested that they donate to the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) account, which helps film workers with ration and other basic needs.
Sudhir Mishra and other filmmakers however expressed a preference to donate directly to the daily wage workers they had last worked with and appealed to those in need to approach them.
Indeed a heartwarming ray of sunshine amidst the gloom cast by the coronavirus outbreak.
