Coronavirus outbreak: Producers Guild of India sets up relief fund for daily wage workers

The Producers Guild of India has set up a relief fund for daily wage workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Various film bodies across India have announced the closure of film, television, and web productions as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 outbreak.

“In the light of the complete shutdown of all production-related activity for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there is bound to be a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of daily wage earners in the industry,” Sidharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild said.

“Our association has decided to set up a relief fund to help support those affected by the shutdown. We would encourage the entire fraternity to contribute to the fund to minimise the disruption in the lives of our valued colleagues and associates in this difficult time," he added.

The decision came after filmmakers like Sudhir Mishra, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Anurag Kashyap raised concerns over the livelihood of daily wage workers.

Earlier this week, Bollywood banners like Dharma Productions and Balaji Telefilms and Motion Pictures suspended operations due to the coronavirus outbreak. The release of tentpole films like Sooryavanshi and Brahmastra has also been delayed due to the situation.