It’s the first day of 2022 but more than rejoicing, people are worried about a possible third wave of Covid-19. With the boom in business, showbiz is also facing the heat.

Movies have started postponing, actors are testing positive, which in turn could lead to their respective shoots being blocked – there’s a lot at stake. But people in the entertainment industry are optimistic.

Director Anees Bazmee, who directed Bhool Bhulaiya 2 with Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, says: “We hope and wish aisa kuchh bhi na ho, jaisa lag raha hai. We have suffered, that is enough. If a lockdown recurs, people will suffer more than before. We should all pray together that this problem will go away from this world. The poor have suffered a lot. And watch our films. Jersey release see ek hafta pehle reporter ho gayi, the creators had to do it, they had to face so many problems. You cannot make a fixed schedule because everything is uncertain. Your stress levels are rising, in a business that is full of pressure anyway.

Many actors, including Arjun Kapoor and Nora Fatehi, have tested positive. Business expert Atul Mohan believes people have started to become lax in their approach to precautions. He attributes this to the “chalta hai” attitude once filming has started.

“No one was taking great care, everyone thought we were getting back to normal. At the same time, it was hardly viable for producers to have PPE kits, especially small filmmakers. They cannot ask everyone to wear PPE. Cinema is a very creative business, you have to work with a free spirit. When you see people walking around in PPE suits and masks, it makes it very scary, ”Mohan said.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said the industry has rebounded in recent times, with many films doing well at the box office.

“Sooryavanshi, Spider-Man: No Homecoming and Pushpa are doing very well at the box office. Suddenly we have become easy targets, it only falls on us when we take the greatest precautions, like 50% occupancy in theaters. It’s truly sad. People have jobs, so much money is invested, we’ve been through more than a year and a half of ups and downs, the movies are closing, the shooting is at a standstill, ”said the national award winner, which has an exit, India: containment,This year.

“I hope for the best. I’m sure when things get back to normal we’ll be back in theaters and audiences too,” Bhandarkar adds.

A silver lining this year is the fact that almost every big star has a movie slated for release – Shah Rukh Khan returns with Pathan, Aamir Khan with Laal Singh Chaddha, Ajay Devgn with Maidaan and Track 34, Akshay Kumar with Raksha Bandhan, and much more.

Producer Anand Pandit, who has Thank God aligned with Devgn, said, “The most important thing is the well-being of the people around you. If they are alive, then only is industry. In all wisdom, we should follow what the government says. As far as production is concerned, it is up to the producers and the respective players to get started or not. Filming for Thank God is nearing completion, we have time until July of this year for release, and Omicron will hopefully die by February-March. We are not that worried.

Amid all this, the industry is arguing for the reopening of Delhi theaters. With the yellow alert in Delhi, movie theaters were closed. Many bigwigs of showbiz had reacted on social networks and asked for their reopening. Filmmaker Karan Johar took to Twitter and wrote: “We urge the Delhi government to allow cinemas to operate. Theaters have a better ability to ensure a hygienic environment while maintaining standards of social distancing from other out-of-home environments. @LtGovDelhi @ArvindKejriwal @OfficeOfDyCM #cinemasaresafe “In an official statement, the President of the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) Kamal Gianchandani said the decision of the Delhi government to close cinemas in Delhi while enforcing the” yellow alert ” “has caused massive uncertainty and could lead to irreparable damage to the Indian film industry.