MUMBAI: One of the leading production houses in Bollywood, Yash Raj Films (YRF), started the first phase of its vaccination drive on Tuesday with an aim to inoculate at least 4000 workers of the Hindi film fraternity.
The much-needed vaccination drive will enable these workers to resume working. This ushers in a massive ray of hope for the media and entertainment industry of India that has been crippled by the coronavirus pandemic since last year.
Aditya Chopra has opened the doors to his sprawling YRF studios for this vaccination drive that will look to inoculate at least 4000 workers in its first phase.
YRF has pledged that it will do its best to vaccinate 30,000 registered members of the FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees). The company has already vaccinated its employees in an earlier drive that happened within the YRF Studios in Mumbai.
Speaking about the initiative, Akshaye Widhani, Senior Vice President, Yash Raj Films, said, "After inoculating all the employees at YRF, we started vaccinating the crew members of our films and we are now delighted to have started the vaccination drive for the Hindi film industry. This will result in the daily wage earners of our industry to return to work and provide financial stability for themselves and their families."
Widhani added, "The drive will have to take place in phases, given the huge number of vaccines that are required to cover the industry. In the first phase, which starts today, we would be able to inoculate at least 3500-4000 people. YRF is committed to providing a helping hand in restarting the industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic."
Several YRF production ventures including Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathan', Salman Khan's action-packed film 'Tiger 3' and period drama 'Maharaja' were on floors before the Maharashtra government put a hold on shooting in April.
Besides YRF Studios, producer Sajid Nadiadwala held a vaccination drive for over 500 employees and their families of his company Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.
Last week, the Producers Guild of India (PGI) also began their vaccination drive for its members and associated production crews.
Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) and Screenwriters Association (SWA) have also announced that they will be organising free vaccination drives for their staff members.