Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 was temporarily suspended after the crew was shooting for the show at EVP Film City in Chembarambakkam, Chennai, despite the government's ban on film and television shootings. The set was sealed by a team of officials led by Thiruvallur Revenue Divisional Officer Preethi Parkavi at around 8 pm on May 19.
Speaking to TNM, Preethi Parkavi, Revenue Divisional Officer, Thiruvallur, said, “We got the information that food was being taken inside the film city. So we inspected the place yesterday evening. There were seven contestants and 10 technicians inside filming Bigg Boss Malayalam. All of them were evicted and the film city was sealed around 8 pm on Wednesday."
She also noted that although positive cases haven’t been reported so far, six members from the crew tested positive for the coronavirus last month. According to the district officials, the food and other supplies provided to the crew from outside, might have been the cause behind six members contracting the virus."No positive cases have been reported now. Last month they seem to have had around six cases. They should have stopped filming at least then. Everything was being taken from outside, the food, technicians etc. Now due to lockdown, such activities are not allowed. Hence we have sealed it under the provisions of Disaster Management Act,” Preethi Parkavi added.
Earlier, the President of Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI), RK Selvamani, announced that all work related to production and post-production of movies and television serials has been halted till May 31 in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
The contestants have reportedly been shifted to a private hotel. The third season of Bigg Boss Malayalam is hosted by Mollywood star Mohanlal. The latest season premiered on February 14 with 14 contestants. At the moment, eight contestants including Manikuttan, Dimpal B