Ever since the nationwide lockdown was announced on 23rd March, shoots of fiction and non-fiction shows had come to a complete halt, with due consideration for the safety of the actors and staff. Complying with the directives issued by the Tamil Nadu State government, Zee Tamil has resumed shoots of the fiction shows. The viewers of Zee Tamil can expect original content and hit the resume button on the journeys of their favourite characters from 27th July.
Over the past decade, the viewers of Zee Tamil have evolved with their favourite characters, investing deeply in each of their journeys. The channel, in line with its exemplary commitment towards entertaining its audiences, is set to present novel and original content, taking them further along in the lives of their favourite characters from their beloved shows. As an initiative to spread cheer and positivity among their viewers, Zee Tamil has also launched a digital and on-air comeback campaign with the tagline ‘Idhaythal inaivom, idhaiyum kadapom’– which translates to - if we come together in spirit, this too shall be overcome.
The utmost priority for Zee Tamil as the channel resumes shoot is to ensure the safety of all personnel and actors on set. Several measures have been put in place to ensure the same. A team of safety experts is brought in to sanitize and disinfect the sets, prior to shoots. This is a 9-hour process that is conducted prior to shoot schedule. In its efforts to ensure that every measure is taken to mitigate risks, a government approved team is invited to the sets to conduct a thorough inspection once the sanitization procedure is complete.
Before entering and leaving the set each day, provisions have been made for mandatory thermal screening for all members of the cast and crew. The shoots will strictly be held indoors and in a closed environment with a maximum of 60 persons present at any given time. Safety kits with soaps, sanitizers gloves and masks have been made available to members on the set. When not in front of the camera, actors will mandatorily wear face masks on the set. To further reduce risk factors, the actors will do their own make up in order to avoid unnecessary contact with other members from the crew. Arrangements for food that is cooked in a hygienic environment will also be made available at the sets.
From 27th July, the fiction shows will be airing six days a week in new timings:
Rettai Roja – 1:30 – 2:00 pm
Endrendum Punnagai – 2:oo – 2:30 pm
Raja Magal – 2:30 – 3:00 pm
Neethaane Enthan Ponvasantham – 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Gokulathil Seethai – 8:00 – 8:30 pm
Yaaradi Nee Mohini – 8:30 – 9:00 pm
Sembaruthi – 9:00 – 9:30 pm
Oru Oorula Oru Rajakumari – 9:30 – 10:00 pm
Sathya – 10:00 – 10:30 pm
“During the lockdown, the channel has shown tremendous initiative to come up with innovative and engaging content for its viewers. This has helped establish a continued connect between our viewers and their favourite stars while shoots were on pause. We are thankful to our ardent viewers for their continued support during this time and eagerly look forward to bringing to them original and exciting new content”, said Siju Prabhakaran, South Cluster Head, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Pvt. Ltd.
During the lockdown, the channel also took the initiative to provide financial aid to nearly 400 daily wage earners from the television industry to address their financial challenges.
