Akshay Kumar, who started the shoot of his next film Ram Setu on March 30, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 4. Soon after, reports suggested that 45 out of 100 junior artists of Ram Setu have contracted the Coronavirus.
The makers, however, have now denied it outright. Vikram Malhotra, Abundantia Entertainment, who is co-producing the film, says this is “absolutely inaccurate and a total misrepresentation of facts.” He revealed that as part of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) laid down for the safety of everyone on a shoot, advance and frequent Covid tests are carried out for all crew members. “In line with the same, and ahead of the shoot to be held on April 5 in Madh Island, around 190 people were tested on 3rd at an off-location testing camp in Versova, Mumbai from which a certain number were to be selected for the shoot. Out of these 190-odd people, 25 people tested positive and were, therefore, removed from those who qualified to be part of the unit for shoot the next day,” he said.
Reiterating that none of those individuals were ever a part of the unit or present on the film’s set, Vikram continued, “The expenses for this off-location testing and all such tests is borne entirely by the film’s production and is monitored by the production team.”
Akshay being infected with the virus had nothing to do with these tests or those 45 people being diagnosed positive. “The shoot lined up for April 5 had to be suspended. There is absolutely no connection or correlation between the two developments as the very shoot that is being quoted in the false story never took place!” he clarified.
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