KOCHI: After a gap of 100 days, the call of “lights, camera, action” is finally reverberating in Mollywood again. The shooting of the movie “Tsunami” got off the floor on Monday in Kochi, the film hub of Kerala.
Adhering strictly to the COVID-19 protocol issued by the state government, the shooting resumed at the French Toast Cafe on Chittoor Road. Actors Aju Varghese and Balu Varghese performed in front of the camera, as instructed by director Lal and his son Jean-Paul Lal. The father-son duo is jointly directing the movie for which Alex J Pulickal is cranking the camera.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, the crew usually consisted of 100 to 120 members. However, as per new safety norms, the total number of people present on a set is restricted to a maximum of 50.
“Accordingly, we have reduced the number of people in each department. Instead of 16, the unit members are now reduced to eight while only four people are there in the crane section. The art department too has four members while production boys, from the earlier 10, have been restricted to five,” said Aneesh Perumbilavu, the production controller for “Tsunami”.
He said the direction department has restructured the shooting chart to ensure the total number of artists does not exceed the limit set by the government.
“As outdoor shooting is not allowed due to the pandemic, some scenes were reworked to shoot indoors,” he added.
More films are expected to roll in the coming days, which is a good sign for the industry. However, the production controllers feel that it may be easy for small and medium budgeted movies to keep rolling amid restrictions, but it will not be the same for superstar/big-budget movies.
“If the theme demands outdoor shooting and the presence of a crowd, we cannot go ahead at this juncture,” said senior production controller Aroma Mohan.
Meanwhile, sources close to the superstars of Malayalam -- Mammootty and Mohanlal -– said they are yet to take a call on resuming shooting. Mammootty, whose movies “One” and “the Priest” are completed, is planning to come back by the end of the year with the fifth part of his evergreen CBI film series. Mohanlal will be coming up with a sequel to his blockbuster “Drishyam”.