The EVP Film City was sealed on Wednesday where the shooting of Bigg Boss Malayalam season 3 was going on despite the Tamil Nadu Government’s ban on film and television shootings during the Covid-19 lockdown. A team of officials, led by Thiruvallur Revenue Divisional Officer Preethi Parkavi, reached the Bigg Boss Malayalam set at Chembarambakkam and sealed it around 8 pm.
“We have sealed the premises. A case was filed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 for violation of government guidelines. FEFSI Union President RK Selvamani had already issued a statement saying that no film and small screen shootings should happen. Despite this, the production house continued to shoot as it was a continuous episode. We entered the set and saw people inside the glass doors, and food was delivered to them inside the set. There were seven contestants and other crew members like cameraman, technicians, and other production staff. They said 95 days of the show have been completed and they needed five more days to complete the 100-day episode but we refused the permission. All of them were provided with a PPE Kit and immediately told to leave the set. The set was sealed and we have imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh,” she said.
The contestants were shifted to a private hotel. Other technicians who were staying in a rented apartment have been asked to vacate it. The production house was asked to provide e-passes to all of them so that they can return to Kerala.
As per sources, six crew members of Bigg Boss Malayalam had tested positive for Covid-19. While they were not in direct contact with the contestants, they were in touch with other production house members. All of them are in quarantine now. The district officials said the food was supplied to the crew from outside, which may have been the likely cause of how they contracted the virus.
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