No budget cuts on Family Man, say creators amid report of Amazon, Netflix slashing budgets of shows during lockdown

Top streaming services are reworking budgets on their upcoming shows, because of the severe economic impact of the coronavirus lockdown. According to journalist Rajeev Masand, both Netflix and Amazon Prime are slashing budgets on shows commission months ago.

According to Masand, creators Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK have agreed to take a salary cut as per a new revised budget, which could mean a smaller profit for them. However, Raj and DK have responded to the report and said they have not been asked to make any budget cuts. “We’ve been getting calls about news that we are facing budget cuts on #TheFamilyMan. We have NOT been asked to cut budgets on either this show or any of our upcoming shows. In fact we have finished shoot on TFM, so the topic of budget cuts is not even relevant,” they wrote.

Also read: Paatal Lok review: Anushka Sharma’s show is Amazon’s black-hearted yet brave answer to Sacred Games

The makers of Mirzapur, whose second season was also already shot before the lockdown, have agreed to similar deals, as per the report. Meanwhile, Made in Heaven creators Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti will reportedly reduce the number of episodes in the show’s second season, so as not to compromise on its quality. Makers of Made in Heaven and Mirzapur have not reacted to the report yet.

Zoya had recently shared a picture of a season two script for an episode of Made in Heaven, implying that she is still in the process of writing it.

During this time, Amazon has also announced seven film debuts on its platform. These include the Ayushmann Khurrana and Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Gulabo Sitabo, Vidya Balan-starrer Shakuntala Devi, and five other regional language films. The streaming service on Friday premiered the first season of Paatal Lok, produced by Anushka Sharma and starring Jaideep Ahlawat, to positive reviews.

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