NK Uma Maheshwara, 49, has been working as a make-up artiste in the Kannada film industry for 32 years now. “I’ve never seen such a dire situation before this. There has been no work for a long time, and while producers and production companies are supporting us as much as they can, how much will they do? They have no income either,” he says.
The Kannada film industry was arguably at its peak with a happy mix of commercial blockbusters such as KGF, award-winning films such as Naathicharami, Gantumoote, and Ondalla Eradalla, and films that pushed the envelope such as Avane Sriman Narayana and Katha Sangama, before the pandemic struck. It has been in a limbo since, like the other film industries. Just before the pandemic, there was huge hope from big-ticket films lined up for release.
Now, every person who is part of the industry is waiting to head back to work. Shoots were cancelled in April 2021 when the second wave of COVID-19 struck Karnataka, and state capital Bengaluru, hard. Many in the industry tested positive, and some popular producers such as Ramu and K Chandru died too.
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However, before they focus on livelihood, the industry has to focus on vaccination. Unlike other industries where social distancing is possible, the film industry has to struggle to factor in that distance. Masks can be worn, but not at all times, and many aspects of the industry — make-up, hair, costumes, dancing, and stunt choreography — call for physical proximity.
This is why the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce approached the state government to help prioritise its workers for the vaccine. Mandya Member of Parliament Sumalatha Ambareesh is said to have been an important voice that convinced the state government to accede to the request. Director Roopa Iyer has been appointed the nodal officer for the effort.
Karnataka is probably the first state in the country to bring film workers on the priority list.
Recently, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan had said the state government would examine if film industry employees would be given priority for vaccination. On 20 May, an order to this effect was issued. The vaccination process began on 31 May in Chamrajpet at the Ambareesh auditorium in Dr Rajkumar Bhavana, and there has been a good response.
Among those who will be vaccinated are members of the Karnataka Film Workers, Artisans and Technicians Federation, of which Uma Maheshwara is a part. He is also the Make-up Chief of the Karnataka State Cine Makeup and Hair Dressers Association. “The entire industry has been hit, and when we get back to work, the fact that everyone is vaccinated will be a huge confidence booster,” says Maheswara, who got vaccinated a while ago with his family. “Many of my colleagues are getting vaccinated now under the aegis of the chamber,” he adds.
Incidentally, from 1 June, the Producers Guild Of India has organised a vaccination camp for members in Mumbai. Recently, Yash Raj Films announced that it had requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to allow it to buy COVID-19 vaccines for members of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) through the Yash Chopra Foundation. This would benefit about 30,000 workers.
National Award-winning stunt choreographer Vikram Mor says that he has been advocating for everyone on the sets to be vaccinated. Incidentally, Mor was part of Hero, M Bharath Raj’s debut film starring Rishab Shetty that was shot entirely during lockdown, with the entire cast and crew working out of an estate in Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka. “Whenever work begins, I am sure everyone will ask for a vaccination certificate. Vaccination now means confidence. It means you can work without fear. We have about 230 members in our stunt masters and artistes union, and we are planning to get all of them vaccinated,” he adds.
Adding to this thought, director Bharath feels the vaccine will “avoid unnecessary fear in the unit." He says that it is not possible to shoot every film with restrictions. “I believe getting vaccinated will also reduce the burden on the filmmaking process a little bit.”
DR Jairaj, president of the Karnataka Film Chamber Of Commerce, says they are delighted their representation to the government was favourably considered. “We have about 1,800 members — producers, distributors, and exhibitors — in our association who have paid their subscription fees. Besides this, we have members from various other groups. We need to get all of them vaccinated. There are a lot of young producers below 45 years of age, they need to be protected too, since this field demands a lot of travel and meeting people. We have lost some veteran producers to COVID already, and if the vaccine is a way to protect everyone, we have to do it,” he explains.
Actor-director-writer-producer Rakshit Shetty says that both as producer and actor, he wants everyone on the set vaccinated. “As soon as we get permission, everyone has to get back to work, and we will be shooting in places where the public is around or we might travel to interior locations. I want my team to be vaccinated so that there is no risk to their life. We all need to work to keep livelihoods alive, and the vaccine means we can go to work without too much worry. Tomorrow, I do not want a situation where something affects anyone on the set. It changes the environment completely.”
The Kannada film industry supports lakhs of workers across many categories — from the person operating the lights to the producer. Veteran producer Rockline Venkatesh, who works across languages, says that unless every person on set is vaccinated and tested before the shoot begins, safety cannot be guaranteed. “Once a film begins, everyone from the producer to the person working on the sets is equally important. We have more than 35 categories of workers in the industry, and all of them have to be protected for the industry to survive. If one slips, everyone slips. Even if one person is positive and asymptomatic, it will create havoc on the sets. That is why this vaccination drive is being welcomed,” he says.
The monetary risk of an infection on set is also too steep for anyone to take a chance with it. Especially, with most producers struggling to stay afloat — there has been no income from theatres, bank loans have to be taken care of, and funds are blocked in projects that have been temporarily halted.
“I don’t know when we will start shoots, but when we do, I need a certificate. I cannot expect everyone to log on to the app and get a slot. This way, the industry stays as democratic as it always has been — everyone gets access to the vaccine.”
Venkatesh plans to get everyone tested at his own expense before any shoot begins, and to ensure it works like a strict bio-bubble so that they continue making movies while staying safe. “I am also looking to see how social distancing can be maintained and how to sanitise sets. We have to get back to work, and have to find new ways to work in the current environment,” the producer says.
The vaccination drive is being conducted across centres, and they hope to keep it going till the vials last. The film chamber has requested the government for enough vials to vaccinate all.
Another request made to the government has been to announce a package for film workers, where they get a fixed sum of Rs 5,000 a month to sustain themselves till shoots begin. A request has also been made to give suffering workers rice so that they can nourish themselves.
Director Hemanth Rao, who was shooting for Sapta Sagaradaache Yello with Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth before the second wave of COVID-19 hit, says that while the pandemic has wreaked havoc on many sectors, the film industry is among those worst hit. “Obviously, entertainment and films had to take the back seat and rightly so, but the number of livelihoods impacted is huge. I am glad the government has agreed to vaccinate film workers on priority. There is overwhelming evidence that vaccines work, and this move will allow people to get back to work. More importantly, it will give them some sort of protection from the infection as maintaining standard safety protocols is hard on a film set,” he adds.
Karnataka Film Workers, Artisans and Technicians Federation General Secretary Ravindranath KS said getting everyone vaccinated is a top priority because the entire industry has to be protected before work begins. “Everyone meets everyone else on the film set, and so we need to ensure there is no risk for anyone in the cast and crew.”
Director Pawan Kumar of Lucia and U-Turn-fame, who spearheaded one of the earliest crowdfunding efforts for film workers during the first wave of COVID-19 and the lockdown that followed, said that this vaccination effort was important as it was not always possible to shoot in airy, ventilated spaces. “We will have to go to smaller spaces, we will have to apply make-up in cramped spaces, that’s how we work. We do not have the option of work from home or working at half capacity, so we need to protect everyone, especially those who do not have access to technology and cannot register themselves. Most workers are daily wagers, and they need the money that comes from shooting. We must ensure that they get the vaccine, which will ensure work opportunities open up for them.”
In 2020, Pawan created a system where people could directly support workers. More than Rs 15 lakh was distributed among workers. “This time, lockdown hit the same set of people. But, unlike last time, raising funds has been a bit of a problem, because everyone has been hit, and people want to save for themselves. And so this free vaccination is a godsend for workers.”
Meanwhile, Kannada superstar Yash, whose KGF set the box office buzzing across the country, has pledged to donate Rs 5,000 each to 3,000 film workers drawn from 21 departments of the industry. This works out to Rs 1.5 crore. In a statement, he said, “While I am very well aware that this (the Rs 5,000 donation) may not serve as a solution to the loss and the pains caused by the situation we are in, it is a ray of hope.”
In May, Kannada star Upendra offered to distribute groceries to 3,000 workers of the Kannada film industry.
But the biggest gift of all for an industry, that has mostly been resilient and faced the pandemic head-on, will be that of vaccines. Only that will put it back on the growth path it looked firmly set on in early 2020.
source https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kannada-film-industry-ramps-up-vaccination-as-fraternity-efforts-and-govt-patronage-go-hand-in-hand-9676851.html
