Actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer-rapper Badshah had to be evacuated from sets of their respective shows Kaun Banega Crorepati and Hustle after a fire broke out in Mumbai’s Film City on Monday afternoon.
As per reports, the fire started around 4 pm on the outer shade of a temporary setup being used for the reality show Pati Patni Aur Panga 2, behind Prime Focus Studio. The smoke soon reached the adjoining sets of Hustle Season 5 and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
No injuries were reported. No shooting was scheduled on the Pati Patni Aur Panga 2 set when the fire broke out, which meant there were no artists or crew members working there at the time
According to a Times of India report, Ashok Dubey, President of the All India Film Employees Confederation (AIFEC) and General Secretary of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), says the situation could have been much more serious had the Pati Patni Aur Panga 2 team been shooting.
“The shade on the Pati Patni Aur Panga set caught fire, and the smoke spread to the adjacent sets of Hustle 5 and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), forcing the crews to evacuate. Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) also had to step out of the KBC set because of the smoke, bringing the shoots to a halt for nearly an hour and a half. Fortunately, there was no shoot on the Pati Patni Aur Panga set; otherwise, it could have resulted in a major accident,” he said.
According to ABP News, rapper Badshaha and actor Samarth Jurel and Hustle 5’s contestants were present when smoke and the smell of burning became noticeable, prompting everyone to leave the set.
The All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also lamented the situation in a post on X and stated that there has been no accountability for repeated fires at Film City. “Mumbai's Film City Burns Again, and No One Is Held Accountable. Mumbai's Film City is burning again, and as always, no one is being held accountable. Fire after fire, year after year, thousands of workers and artists are pushed into danger by channels, producers and production houses that refuse to spend on basic fire safety to save a few rupees. The sets go up in flames, the poor workers pay the price, and those who profit walk away without a single consequence. Fires in Film City are not accidents,” the statement read.