by Joginder Tuteja
Akshay Kumar’s Bell Bottom was the first film to be completed completely during the lockdown in 2020 and then released in August this year. In a way, it marked the beginning of Bollywood’s campaign in theatres, although it was affected by Maharashtra’s lockdown and 50% occupancy rule. Well, some other notable films that were shot during the lockdown, Sonam Kapoor’s Blind and Kajal Aggarwal’s Uma will not face any such challenge. reason? Theaters across the country are now allowed to play at 100% occupancy on a larger scale and Maharashtra will soon follow suit.
Confirms our source, “Yes. Both Blind and Uma are in full swing with post production. Both will be ready for release in the next few months.”
Produced by AVMA Media, Blind was shot in Glasgow, UK, while Uma was shot in Kolkata. Incidentally, both the films are thrillers and have female-centric affairs with Sonam Kapoor and Kajal Aggarwal in never-seen-before avatars.
“During the most unprecedented times where most of the film’s shooting was halted, the AVMA well channeled its resources to wrap up the main shoot of Blind in February 2021. It went on floors in Glasgow last year when the pandemic crisis struck. was at its peak and the whole of the UK was under lockdown,” our source continues.
Uma, on the other hand, was completed in August this year, when the second wave of the pandemic was still spreading across India. The film faced some challenges, be it the night curfew or the stringent Covid-19 restrictions.
Avishek Ghosh, Managing Partner, AVMA Media, says, “The pandemic period has really helped us realize the importance of a lean film crew working in a tight and compact shooting schedule. Of course, we have safety concerns while ensuring The film crew was working with medical support systems in place.”
It was not just the COVID restrictions that challenged the Sonam Kapoor starrer; There were also flight cancellations, location cancellations and extreme weather conditions in the UK with rain, snow and sub-zero temperatures threatening to be a spanner in plans.
“Thankfully, we still managed to work with clockwork accuracy and always had a plan B. Neither Blind nor Uma had any hurdles in the shoot and we finished the main shoot as per schedule. Routine testing also ensured that the crew was safe throughout the filming phase,” says Avishek.
While the visually impaired and Uma is waiting to hit the big screen soon, AVMA Media is presently setting up a number of films which are in various stages of development.
“After these two films the next film will be a thriller and will feature a renowned leading lady of the Hindi film industry. The film is likely to start from January 2022. Then there is also a slice-of-life anthology film which will be released in March/April. Should go on floors in 22nd. The pre-production of both the films is currently in full swing,” confirmed our source.
With a web series as well as a couple of seat-thrillers in the development stage, AVMA Media really has its hands full for 2022. Meanwhile, one is waiting to hear the release announcement for Blind and Uma, which will mark this film. Sonam Kapoor and Kajal Aggarwal return to the big screen after a hiatus.
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Stay tuned for more updates.
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