The rampaging COVID-19 virus, threatening the industry with closure, has taken its first scalp. Several TV show leads (the latest being Tera Yaar Hoon main lead Sudeep Sahir and his wife Anantica Sahir) have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Their absence from the set was leading to story sequence changes. However, the makers kept the shoot ongoing.

The slice-of-life comedy Wagle Ki Duniya features Sumeet Raghvan, Parivar Pranati, Bharati Achrekar, and Anjan Srivastav. It is a sequel to the hit show of the same name, which aired on Doordarshan years back.

Producer JD Majethia confirmed the same saying, “Wagle is an episodic format and loved by people right now, so we did not want to shoot without a couple of key actors and telecast diluted episodes. I am utilizing the bank and repeating for a week until all are healthy and back to shoot. Soaps that have long stories can shift the focus on other essential characters and continue the same level. Usually, I’m never in favor of repeating or missing on telecasting of fresh content, but time is not usual for now. We have to survive this pandemic by not going in for complete lockdown and repeats for a long time, like March to July 2020.” JD refused to name the infected actors, citing privacy. When asked should other producers follow suit, the Chairman of Indian Films and Television Producers Council (IFT) said, “every show should decide for itself.” Shooting schedule across the board are already restricted, with weekend shoots suspended following last weekend producers meeting with Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Yesterday, the news stated that 39 cast members of Wagle Ki Duniya had also got the coronavirus; JD was quoted to have said – “this is completely false news. We have not yet received the test report of many people. However, after taking all the necessary previews, eight people from the production team have come positive.” 72-year-old Anjan Srivastav who plays senior Wagle has gone into quarantine, saying “he needs to take precaution given his age.”

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