Exclusive! Unlock 1.0: We have a dedicated hardworking team and so restrictions are no bar for filming: ‘Tsunami’ producer Allan Antony

The coronavirus pandemic and the following lockdown has also affected entertainment industries across the globe and Mollywood is no different. ‘Tsunami’ is the first Malayalam movie to resume the shoot after the Kerala government granting permission for the indoor shoots, with a maximum number of 50 crew members and following all the health protocols. Jean Paul Lal’s directorial ‘Tsunami’ resumed shoot on June 15 and is continuing the filming. We caught up with Allan Antony, the producer of the movie for a chat. Allan is a pilot by profession and ‘Tusnami’ marks his maiden production venture. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the enthusiastic producer shares the experience of working in the current scenario with all the restrictions and also affirms that work is in the right momentum.
The entertainment industry and movies would be new to producer Allan Antony, but he speaks confidently as he isn’t naive. “We have begun the shoot after taking permission from the ministry and film associations. They have given us a set of guidelines with about 40 instructions in it, including the maximum number of 50 members on the set, providing protective equipments like masks, gloves, hand rubs, also a doctor on call, frequent temperature checks, and so on. And we are following the same,” the producer said. The team of ‘Tsunami’ is currently filming in UC College in Alwaye. Balu Varghese is essaying the lead and other casts include Innocent, Mukesh, Suresh Krishna, Aju Varghese, and Aaradhya Ann.
The producer adds that a lion portion of the outdoor shoot was completed prior to the coronavirus outbreak and hence they didn’t have to make huge changes in the script. “We were lucky that 95 percent of the outdoor was completed before the pandemic broke out. So we didn’t have much of a trouble. We had to rework only about three or four scenes,” the producer added disclosing that they never had to compromise the creative process despite the current circumstances.
When asked if the current situation and following the health protocol has elevated the budget of the movie, the debutant producer gave us a pleasant and positive reply. “We have a total of 50 people on the set and we have to provide masks and sanitizers. Let’s say, a medical mask can be worn for 4-6 hours. So after that, we have to supply another. Now you can calculate the number of masks, hand rubs, gloves, and other essentials that a 50-member unit needs if the filming duration is 12 hours. But see, before the COVID-19 outbreak, when we were filming, we had a crew of about 120 members. So now when the crew size has decreased, it has also reduced the daily batta amount. So the production cost hasn’t surged for sure. Actually, I feel we can ‘also’ do some movies in this way, with less number of crew, if the whole team is hardworking and co-operative,” the producer said.
As the number of crew on the set is limited to 50, the biggest concern would be time management. But the producer, Allan Antony again had an optimistic answer for that too! “I would love to quote it this way, if the team is dedicated and hardworking, nothing is a big deal. For about the past two and a half months, we all were sitting at home, with no revenue. And resuming the shoot is hope for all of us. They are all high-spirited and working hard. We have limitations for sure, but we have adapted to it. We have a dedicated hardworking team and so restrictions are no bar for filming,” Allan added with confidence.
Although ‘Tsunami’ is Allan Antony’s debut project, the producer added that being with his father-in-law, actor-director-scenarist and producer Lal is his huge confidence. Lal, who has earlier delivered hits is crafting the screenplay for ‘Tsunami’. “I have a lot to learn from Papa (Lal) and also my executive producer Anoop is an experienced hand. It’s almost like home to us, the only difference would be, that we are away from our respective families,” the jovial producer said.
Speaking about his expectations, the producer said, “The movie is an out and out entertainer. And we are expecting it to be a huge success. A blockbuster, I hope! Apart from all that, I wish that we complete the shoot safely so that it encourages others in the industry who are planning to start filming. If everything turns out good, it will be adding to their confidence. We will be happy if we could do it.”
The team has filmed for about four days now and the producer tells us that if the weather conditions are the same, they would be able to wrap the shoot in another eight days.
The producer signs off adding that they have set aside a part of the movie’s fund to take COVID-19 tests after the wrap, for the whole crew, if they are concerned.