Studios in Kolkata's Tollygunge area have suffered severe damage due to the super cyclone Amphan that ravaged the city last week. While NT1 Studio has seen major damage, the make-up room of the late matinee idol Uttam Kumar has remained intact with no sign of destruction.
According to a report in The Times of India newspaper, the roof over some of the floors was blown off, the boundary walls have crumbled, and all the trees in the compound have been uprooted.
“Three shooting floors at NT1 need major repairs. The roofs of some floors blew off in the storm. The fire system is not working,” said Saugata Nandi, owner of the studio. He added that they have lost count of the number of uprooted trees, and thinks they are fortunate that Uttam Kumar’s room remained untouched.
Due to the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio is now finding it difficult to arrange for labourers to clear up the mess. “We have already faced a loss of Rs50 lakh due to the lockdown. It will take another 12 to 15 days to resume work provided we can arrange for labour and raw material,” said Nandi.
Indrapuri Studio, too, has seen major damage and many of its CCTV cameras were broken as trees were uprooted during the storm. “We are unable to contact any agency that can help us remove the fallen trees. We are still assessing the financial impact. The repair work will cost around Rs10 lakh," said Tejash Joshi, managing director of the studio.