Speaking about the first Bollywood film to shoot internationally following the COVID-19 lockdown, the leading man shares the extensive and meticulous safety measures planned by the production team.
- Oct 6, 2020
AceShowbiz - Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has applauded the production team behind new movie "Bell Bottom" for keeping its cast and crew safe as they completed the project in Scotland amid COVID-19 fears.
The film was Bollywood's first to shoot internationally following the coronavirus lockdown and Kumar reveals everyone went to extraordinary lengths to stay safe on set.
"We wanted to be as sure as possible about the safety of everyone around us, hence an extensive and meticulous safety measures plan was laid out by the production house, Pooja Entertainment, hoping to accomplish a smooth and safe shoot," he tells Deadline.
"Besides medical-grade masks and face shields, the production house also made it mandatory for the cast and crew to wear wrist watches that constantly monitored their oxygen levels, body temperature, blood pressure, stress levels and pulse via a centralised dashboard. Along with this, everyone was instructed to live within the premises in bubbles, to minimise interaction with the outside world. Chefs were also appointed for the team so as to avoid the need to order food from restaurants.
"Furthermore, there was an on-set doctor, looking into the vitals of all the crew members on a daily basis and every 15 days the entire crew would take a mandatory COVID test. There was a sanitisation tunnel installed for the crew to use before starting the day's work and at the end of the day, each day, the set was rigorously disinfected."
Kumar reveals the producers selected Scotland as a location, because it was the safest place in the U.K. to shoot: "The plan was always to shoot in the United Kingdom but Scotland got zeroed in on as it matched all of our requirements in terms of locations, aesthetics that we were looking for and a more controlled environment to work in during this pandemic. The Scottish government and the authorities were a big help in this, guiding and supporting us each step of the way, ensuring a smooth sailing of the schedule.
"Planning a film's production by itself is a Herculean task, add to that the safety and security of a 225-member crew was an even bigger task. But kudos to the production team, they did a stellar job."
