The Malayalam film industry is said to be the latest affected by the supply crisis of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which has already impacted hotels and restaurants across the country.
This comes as the petroleum ministry on Thursday announced new measures to curb panic buying and meet fuel demands as the Hormuz Strait remains closed, and the war between Iran and US-Israel forces continues to shake global energy flows.
Specifically, the LPG crisis is feared to have an impact on food supply to Mollywood's film production sets throughout the state.
“We have stock for two days more. But the situation will turn difficult if the situation persists,’ said B. Rakesh, president of the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA).
The KFPA has estimated that the production of nearly 18 films may be affected if cooking gas cylinders are not made available soon, as per a Hindu report.
The KFPA has also estimated that film producers in Kerala may also be looking at losses of around Rs 5 crore if the LPG crisis persists, as it would force them to cancel production.
“It is not easy to re-organise the entire crew and other logistics, once we have to break the shooting process midway,” Rakesh added.
Notably, food has to be served for around 100-250 members on the sets of a film, depending on the scale of its production. A typical film shoot also takes 45-60 days with three meals served per day, which means a substantial amount of cooking gas is now under pressure.
In that regard, the report also cites production controller Dixon Poduthas, who claims that firewood is now being used as a temporary replacement for cooking gas.
"They are managing the gaps with firewood. Many of them already have the facilities to make the food using wood-based stoves,” he noted.
However, according to an earlier OnManorama report, the surge in wood prices is likely to translate into higher spending on food.
"If that is the only option left, we will have to resort to it,” production controller Sidhu Panakkal said.