Mask, distance, action! Farhan, Ritesh's next productions Hello Charlie, Dongri to Dubai go on floors

Amid the relaxation in lockdown, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's production house Excel Entertainment resumed shooting for their next two projects Hello Charlie and Dongri To Dubai taking all necessary precautions.

Mumbai:Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and his producing partner Ritesh Sidhwani on Saturday announced that the shoot of two of their Excel Entertainment projects, Hello Charlie and Dongri to Dubai, started last week.

Akhtar and Sidhwani said all the necessary precautions, in line with the government guidelines, were taken on the sets.

According to a press release issued by the production house, the shoot of Hello Charlie was almost complete before the lockdown and the team filmed the remaining portion last week, while the shooting of Dongri to Dubai has just started.

Akhtar and Sidhwani took to social media to share a two-and-half minute video of how they are strictly adhering to the safety guidelines on the sets.

"Getting back to work is a relief and a joy but given the times we're in, it's important to be socially responsible and keep the environment hygienic for the crew and cast. They work to create. We work to keep them safe. #MasksDistanceAction @excelmovies," Akhtar wrote on Twitter.

Sidhwani took to Instagram and said, "Mask Distance Action. We are back to doing what we love the most - making movies, with the people we love the most- our cast and crew! #MasksDistanceAction."

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The mandatory precautions taken include temperature checks, passing through a sanitisation tunnel, sanitisation of hands, oxygen level check, provision of safety kits (mask, hand gloves, face shield, PPE kits), signing of self declaration form, provision of wristbands for access and wearing safety gears for all members of cast and crew.

Besides this, herbal disinfectant spray tunnel, disinfectant smoke machine for equipments and materials, UV trunk for F&B, bio-disposable bins, sanitiser sprinkler, self service for packaged food and water, and verbal reminders on mic to maintain distancing are some of the precautions that are being taken.

Dongri to Dubai, adapted from Hussain Zaidi's book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, revolves around the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and captures his early life, the big mob bosses at the time and his gang.

Directed by Shujaat Saudagar of Rock On 2 fame, the series features Avinash Tiwari, Kay Kay Menon, Angira Dhar, Amyra Dastur among others.

With inputs from PTI