There have been media reports about seven people being diagnosed with Covid-19 on the sets of Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam's Oh My God 2, and that the shooting has come to a standstill because of it. According to a news portal, Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam and director Amit Rai had tested negative for Covid-19 and the team was expected to return to the sets by the end of October.
Producer Ashwin Varde has now clarified on the situation and explained what exactly happened.
“The report that says seven people were tested Covid positive on our sets is wrong. Three members of the crew were diagnosed Covid positive ten days back. They were quarantined immediately. As of today, they are well on their way to recovery. We are in touch with the BMC officials and keeping them duly posted on the health of these three crew members," he said.
He added, “As a film unit, we have followed all protocols with regard to Covid. We have a Covid sanitisation unit on set every day, which sanitises the set and does daily checks on every crew member. Every crew member is lab-tested once every few days as per the norms. In fact, after these three crew members tested positive, we immediately tested the rest of the unit too - consisting of almost 200 people. Everyone else has tested negative.
“I would also like to clarify that none of the film’s shooting was stalled due to this unfortunate episode. In fact, we completed our Mumbai schedule and have been on a break before we head to Ujjain to complete the rest of the film."
The producer further said, “Our next schedule in Ujjain was supposed to commence on October 13. We have now shifted the date to October 23, in order to give ample recovery time for the three crew members. The three crew members will complete their 14-day quarantine on October 17, after which they will be tested again to confirm their negative status."
“The rest of the crew will also be tested before we leave for Ujjain for the next schedule. In Ujjain too, we have a special Covid monitoring unit on set that will ensure all guidelines and protocols are being followed," he assured.
The producer further thanked everyone for their concern regarding this matter, and hoped for everyone’s good health.
OMG 2 is a sequel to Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal’s 2012 film of the same name. With Pankaj and Yami headlining the movie, Akshay Kumar will also be seen in a pivotal role in the movie.
Image source: Instagram/yamigautam/pankajtripathi