LPG shortage: 18 Malayalam film shoots at risk, ₹5 crore loss likely as crew struggle to cook meals on sets

LPG shortage: The ongoing LPG cylinder crisis has made its way into the film sets, affecting the production houses in the film industry. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, involving the US-Israel and Iran, has led to fuel supply disruptions after Iran reportedly blocked the Strait of Hormuz.

LPG crisis hits film industry

Amid this, the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) said that as many as 18 Malayalam film shoots are at risk due to the LPG cylinder shortage. The president of the film body, B. Rakesh, said that the crew members are struggling to prepare meals for hundreds who work daily on the film sets.

Rakesh told The Hindu, “We have stock that may last for about two more days. If the shortage continues beyond that, it will become extremely difficult for us to continue shooting.”

Malayalam films at risk

He added that the situation can collectively cause a loss of about ₹5 crore, halting the film shoots. “The total loss estimated for the producers of the 18 movies is around ₹5 crore, once we are forced to cancel the shooting in view of the crisis. It is not easy to re-organise the entire crew and other logistics, once we have to break the shooting process midway.”

Dixon Poduthas, production controller, told the portal that the cylinder stock is expected to last for two more days for most contractors.

“We have stock for two days more. But the situation will turn difficult if the situation persists," added the president of the KFPA

Around 100-250 people are served food on a film location, depending on the scale of the project. Reportedly, cooking on the sets begins around 3 AM, ensuring breakfast is ready by 7:30 am.

Film sets use firewoods to cook meals

For now, crew members have turned to firewood to ensure food supply.

"The people supplying food have informed us that they are managing the gaps with firewood. Many of them already have the facilities to make the food using wood-based stoves,” informed Poduthas.

According to a report by the Indian Express, besides Malayalam, other film industries have also been affected by the LPG shortage in the region. Reportedly, a Hindi film, which was being shot in Thiruvananthapuram and a Tamil film in Edakochi have been struggling to procure LPG cylinders to continue their respective schedules. If it persists, the situation is likely to impact even more films.

For the unversed, India produces more than 2,000 films every year across languages, reportedly.

Menu on films sets

Talking about the food on a film set, caterer Rohit Yadav, who worked on Beyond the Clouds, once shared the typical menu served to crews. He told Film Companion that the basic menu consists of rice, khichdi, curd, aloo gobhi, butter chicken, fruit custard, salad, chapati and papad.