As most parts of the country has already gone into complete lockdown, apart from essential services, rest of the services have been shut. The film and television industry have come to a halt by canceling all the shoots. Prakash Raj, the acclaimed actor-director, has come forward to support his workers in the time of crisis.
Because of the lockdown, while the salaried class is given paid leaves, it is the daily wagers who have suffered the most. A huge chunk of people who work in the film industry depend on their daily wage. To ensure the financial security of his staff and crew members, Prakash Raj announced that he has given paid salaries upfront for the month of April and May.
On Sunday, the actor put out a tweet saying,
“#janathacurfew … looked into my reserve funds. Paid advance salaries to empower all my farm .. house .. film production .foundation and Personel staff up to the month of MAY… finalized a way to give at least half salaries to daily wage workers of my three films stopped due to social distancing .. I’m not done yet .. will continue to do more with what I can afford .. request each one of you who can afford to help needy around you… time to give back to life.. time to stand by one another”
Film Industry Comes Together
The actor also promised that in case of situation intensifying, he will find other ways of helping people and the community at large. The actor has reportedly come forward to contribute to Kannada Filmmaker Pawan Kumar’s initiative to provide aid to daily wage workers of the Kannada Film Industry. The actor also tweeted out of his farmhouse and said that he is in quarantine at his farmhouse.
As a precautionary measure, all shoots have been halted until the 31st March. Acknowledging the economic discomfort, the Producers Guild of India has set up a relief fund for the daily wage workers.
Starting from the 24th of March, most of India is under complete lockdown with states locking down themselves. Strict measures are being taken to ensure social distancing in order to contain the disease from entering Stage-3. The ICMR categorically confirmed that India is currently under Stage-2 of transmission.
