Will have to go back to being strict, says Nivedita Basu on shooting amid COVID-19

MUMBAI: Producer-director Nivedita Basu believes despite the coronavirus vaccination drive being conducted in full swing across the country, there's still the need to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines in the new normal world.

The creative director of top shows like "Kasautii Zindagii Kay", "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", "Hum Paanch", "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki", seems worried about the ongoing situation owing to the surge in coronavirus cases across the state of Maharashtra.  "I am not very sure if Maharashtra really lifted the lockdown, I can sense that there is a lockdown again which is lingering. So we'll have to go back to being strict, the vaccine is also not that 100% efficient that people are going to roam without mask. I think we'll have to be as strict and be responsible as possible because the pandemic which was there last year is going to be out of control," Nivedita says.

Nivedita, who is making her directorial debut with Rashami Desai and Tanuj Virwani-starrer web series "Tandoor", says all the rules and regulations were adhered to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases on the sets.  The team had begun shooting for the much-talked show last year.  "We had to make sure that there was not a single case of COVID-19 because we were actually shooting when the pandemic was still on so we had to be very strict, we started imposing fines," Nivedita says.  

"Our producer Chitra Vakil Sharma was very strict about wearing a mask, doing sanitization on sets twice or thrice a day, because of all the precautions being followed strictly we managed to shoot almost 15 days without a single case of COVID-19. I think that's commendable," she adds.  

The "Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai" producer asserts wearing masks and sanitizing your hands has become the way of life.