Uncertain future worrisome, producers not sure when shoots will resume: Meera Chopra

Actor Meera Chopra says the complete shutdown of film industry amid the nationwide lockdown worries her.

The film industry came to a grinding halt after the nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

"It worries me a lot, I was suppose to start shooting for a show in April, and a movie in June. Both the projects are halted because none of the industry folks know when the shooting will be resumed now. I've been in touch with my producers and they are equally blank about the future.

 

"It seems right now nothing is in our hands. We are facing a huge crisis and we all have to fight that first and then think about anything else. We have to fight corona together for our better future. It's very important to maintain our mental balance right now, it's a very sensitive period," Meera told PTI.

The actor, who was last seen in "Section 375" alongside Richa Chadha and Akshaye Khanna, was also working on an Amazon Prime series "Kamathipura" when the lockdown was announced.

"It's sad because the entire shooting was over and we were in middle of dubbing when the lockdown was announced. We would have been able to release the series if we had just few more days to complete the dubbing. Now we all are waiting for the lockdown to get over so that we can complete the pending work and release it."

While the impact of the lockdown has been widespread, the actor believes it will be particularly challenging for the film industry to function normally until a vaccine is not out.

"None of us have ever seen anything like this, and moreover we don't know when it's going to get over. It looks dark for the next one year till vaccine is not out. None of us are used to sitting at home.

We don't know when the shooting will start. There are at least 100 to 200 people on a set. I don't see such a huge number of people working together till the corona threat is on us."

The actor said she is spending time with her family during the lockdown, but misses being on a set, because things were going in a right direction post "Section 375".

"I've been getting more meaningful roles and films, now I have the liberty to choose what I want to, which I never had before and it's very satisfying. I want to do roles where I can give back something to the society. I can't do anything which is shallow and meaningless," she said.