Karan Johar announces suspension of all Dharma Productions projects amid coronavirus outbreak

Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced that all productions under his Dharma banner have been temporarily suspended because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Karan took to social media to share a statement.

He wrote, “In view of the epidemic spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the world including India, we at Dharma Productions have suspended all administrative and production work until further notice. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of all and we are complying with all the precautionary measures suggested by the government to minimize the risk of exposure to our cast, crew, workers and audience.” The statement continued, “We wish for everyone to stay strong and healthy in the face of the ongoing global health crisis. We’ll see you at the movies soon.”

Karan wrote in the caption of his post, “@dharma2pointo @dharmaticent wish for the well being of the members of our work family and every citizen of the world ...we pray that the world can overcome this situation as soon as possible! God speed to everyone and stay safe and sanitised.”

Earlier this week, film bodies in India including Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) and Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) decided to put shootings of films, TV shows and web series on hold from March 19 to March 31.

Several Hollywood productions such as Netflix’s Red Notice, Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 7 and Universal’s Jurassic World: Dominion have also suspended production. The release of films such as A Quiet Place Part II, Sooryavanshi (co-produced by Karan), Fast & Furious 9, and multiple others, has been deferred.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 182000 people worldwide, with over 7000 deaths. Karan most recently produced the Netflix film, Guilty, starring Kiara Advani.

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