As everyone starts crawling towards the "new normal" in the post-lockdown phase, Bollywood is exploring COVID-19 insurance for its films. And, reports suggest that Taapsee Pannu-starrer Looop Lapeta could actually become one of the first films to get covered for COVID-19 insurance.
The producers of the film, Atul Kasbekar and Tanujj Garg, are in talks with a legal expert, Anand Desai.
Stating that COVID-19 insurance will essentially be similar to accident insurance in a way that it will guard the film against unforeseen incidents like illness of an actor, Kasbekar informed that since COVID-19 is relatively new, they are working upon the details.
"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. 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," Kasbekar told IANS.
The film was supposed to be shot through April and May in Mumbai and Goa but had to rework its dates completely owing to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. But, now since the monsoon has begin, they are eyeing post-Diwali dates.
An adaptation of Tom Tywer's 1998 German hit, Run Lola Run, it will also feature Tahir Raj Bhasin in a prominent role.