In wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Bollywood filmmakers rush to register titles such as 'Corona Pyaar Hai'

Bollywood filmmakers are queuing up to register film titles related to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak across the world, according to a report by Times of India. Eros International has already grabbed the name Corona Pyaar Hai, a spin on Hrithik Roshan-Amisha Patel’s 2000 film Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai. [caption id=“attachment_8129471” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] A medic official uses thermal screeing device on a passenger in the wake of deadly coronavirus, at an airport in Dibrugarh, Assam. PTI[/caption] Producer Krishika Lulla of Eros told TOI that they are currently scripting the film and will start working on it once the situation is stable. She added that the subject of the epidemic is set in a love story. Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) also confirmed with TOI that there have been several others who have registered the title with the word ‘corona’. A source said that one filmmaker had already booked the name Deadly Corona. This is not the first time that Bollywood has tried to monetise on a major event in world history. In 2019 , within days of the government announcing the revocation of Article 370, filmmakers flocked to IMPPA to get their hands on titles like Article 370, Article 35A, Kashmir Hamara Hai and Kashmir Mein Tiranga, among others. Most films and TV shows in the country and across the world have halted their shooting to curb the spread of the virus. Upcoming releases like Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Toofan, Udham Singh, KGF: Chapter 2 and Sooryavanshi have also been postponed . Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and parts of Maharashtra have also called for a shutdown on theatres till the month end, to contain the virus that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 107 on Sunday, with 12 fresh cases in Maharashtra, the Union Health Ministry said. The virus, which originated in China’s Wuhan city in December, has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide and killed over 5,600. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)