The Bombay high court today (7th August) allowed the petition filed by actor Pramod Pandey and the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) and made it possible for actors, technicians and cine workers above the age of 65 to participate in shootings under lockdown or partial lockdown conditions, provided they followed the government advisories like the others. The Maharashtra government had precluded persons above 65 years of age from participating in shootings of films, TV serials and web series. The petition was filed by Pramod Pandey and was first heard on 21st July. The high court on that day questioned the logic behind not allowing actors and crew members above 65 years of age on film sets during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. It wondered how such senior citizens can lead dignified lives if they were not permitted to earn their livelihood. It also asked the state if citizens over 65 years old were not allowed to travel or engage in their businesses and if that were not so, it wondered on what ground film people above 65 years old were being discriminated against. The IMPPA joined in with a separate petition filed in the high court. The matter was further heard on 29th July.
The judgement, pronounced today, has been met in film, TV and web industries with a sigh of relief. The court observed that the rule, which did not allow actors, technicians and crew members above the age of 65 years to participate in shootings during the lockdown situation, were discriminatory, arbitrary and violated their right to live with dignity. The two-judge bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Riyaz Chagla quashed and set aside the condition in the May 31 and June 23 government resolutions insofar as they restricted senior cast and crew members from participating in shootings.
The SOPs, finalised by the state government and in force for all shootings in the state, had necessitated change of actors and even story lines for films, TV serials and web shows. Kanwaljeet Singh is one such actor who was replaced in a TV serial which went on the floors after lockdown restrictions were eased to allow shootings, because he was not permitted to shoot under the Maharashtra government’s guidelines.