Bollywood Looking At COVID-19 Insurance? This Movie Could Be The First One

Mumbai: Unusual circumstances call for an unusual response. COVID-19 insurance in Bollywood is a case in point. Producers of already completed films had to compromise and release their films on OTT platforms. However, those starting new projects are not biting the dust and are taking proactive measures, said an IANS report in Outlookindia.com.

The upcoming Taapsee Pannu-starrer “Looop Lapeta” could become one of the first films to be covered for COVID-19 insurance in Bollywood, IANS reported.

Producers Atul Kasbekar and Tanujj Garg are consulting a legal expert to get COVID-19 insurance for their project.

With Tahir Raj Bhasin in the male lead, the film is an Indian adaptation of Tom Tywer’s 1998 German hit, “Run Lola Run”.

“We are still in talks with a legal expert, Anand Desai. What a COVID-19 insurance will essentially entail is the same as what an accident insurance covers. Insuring a film so far entailed guarding the film against unforeseen incidents like illness of an actor or occurrence of natural calamities leading to delays in the film schedule. Because COVID-19 is relatively new, we are still working upon the details but essentially works in a similar fashion,” said Kasbekar, as reported by Outlook.

“For instance, a crew member tests positive, the entire movie crew might have to be possibly quarantined. In that case, the producers will be covered from the money they are spending on days lost,” he added.

Kasbekar told IANS that the insurance will also protect their crew just as much. In case any of the key members of the crew test positive, they won’t be replaced unduly.

“There are a lot of permutations and combinations to be worked upon. But one of the key things to keep in mind is that a fair number of people will potentially be exposed at a film set and filmmakers trust a certain set of people on the job. So, in case, the DOP of a film were to test positive mid-film, it is likely to stall the shoot of the movie till he recovers or till a suitable replacement is found in double quick time to retain the visual language of the motion picture. So there are these points being discussed. Tanujj and I are working on a draft of the insurance and hoping that it materialises soon,” he told IANS.

The producers are looking at a Diwali release for the film.