A new pandemic has infected the Indian film industry—cinema with corona content. Obsessed with Covid-19 vectors, people want to know more, is the filmmaker’s guess.
At least, some of them do. There may be no better platform than the big screen where entertainment packages information in grimness and glitter.
Production houses are making a beeline for the registration of viral titles and racing to corral the most appealing ones. Corona Pyaar Hai by Eros International is one.
“It’s still in early stages of development,” says the CEO of India operations, Pradeep Dwivedi, adding,
“Major events have always resulted in meaningful stories that are made into films. This pandemic is a unique situation. Once the lockdown ends, many human-interest stories will emerge and people would like to take a retrospective look at how the world faced the contagion.”
Similarly, K Bhagyaraj, veteran filmmaker and South Indian Film Writers’ Association head, also considered among the best scriptwriters, believes that caste and religion have been instrumental in separating the lovers in Indian cinema. Today, the new villain will be the coronavirus.
The horror comedy on the pandemic, Corona Zombies, is already up and running on a streaming platform.
The latest in the making is Netflix’s Covid-19 themed comedy anthology, Social Distance. Many feature films, documentaries and songs on coronavirus are shot and released across the world.
Past movies on virus outbreaks, such as Contagion (2011) and the Malayalam hit Virus (2019), have become a retro-rage. Some writers who are interested in the subject are playing it by ear because they wish to first observe the ramifications of the pandemic and then proceed to the creation level.
Not all filmmakers are enthused by the potential of epidemic-inspired films in the current situation. Harish G Patel, the vice-president of The Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association, believes that they may be miscalculating the level of interest in coronavirus stories.
“I feel that the audience won’t be interested in reliving these memories again, that too in theatres. A film like Contagion did well because it was based on exhaustive research. Only time will tell whether Indian cinema be able to match it,” he says.
Muhsin Parari’s parting advice is, “Just remember to treat these stories positively. They should ultimately aim to invoke hope among people. We’ve had enough of despair.”
That’s a shot in the dark right now.
Caste and religion have been instrumental in separating the lovers in Indian cinema. Now, the new villain will be the coronavirus.