Bengali serial shooting to resume from Thursday after minister Aroop Biswas’ intervention

Kolkata: All’s well that ends well. Just when the situation in Tollywood was almost going out of hands with a barrage of allegations and counter-allegations flying thick and fast, a message from director Raj Chakraborty asking producers to give the call time for Thursday indicated the end of the impasse in Tollywood that had prevented the shooting of serials from resuming on Wednesday. Timely intervention by minister and tele academy’s chairman Aroop Biswas to sort out the differences between West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum (WBMPAF) and Welfare Association of Television Producers (WATP) and broadcasters helped to resolve the problems.
All stake holders jointly signed the SOP paving the way for shooting of some 30-odd Bengali serials to begin from Thursday. This will ensure that the tele-viewers will finally be able to see their favourite serials from June 15.
At an earlier meeting, it was decided that a health insurance of Rs 25 lakh for artists in case of COVID-19 death will be introduced. In case of artists, 50% of the premium will be paid by the broadcaster, 40% by the producer and 10 % by the Artists’ Forum. For the technicians, the amount will be shared by the channel and producer. But problem began when the insurance papers were not ready by Tuesday evening. In addition, the members of the Cine Video and Stage Suppliers Welfare Association demanded that their insurance too be taken care of. What finally added to the confusion was the demand of Artists’ Forum to ensure that before the papers are in order, the onus of paying compensation in case of the demise of any artist be taken by the producer and the broadcaster.
Thankfully, that matter got resolved at Wednesday evening’s meeting. Talking to the media, the minister said, “We are a joint family. There were differences but everything has finally been resolved. The SOP has been signed by all stake holders.” On behalf of WBMPAF, Shankar Chakraborty and Arindam Ganguly signed the SOP. Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern (FCTWEI) was represented by Swarup Biswas and Aparna Ghatak. Saibal Banerjee and Sani Ghosh Ray of WATP also signed the SOP along with representatives of four channels. Swarup Biswas, president of Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern (FCTWEI), said, “All issues have been resolved. If there is a problem, we will all come together to help find a way out.”
Shankar Chakraborty
On being asked about the issue regarding paying of compensation in case there is a casualty before the insurance papers are done, Chakraborty cleared the air saying: “The process of insurance has begun. If case something happens before that, we will collectively bear the responsibility. Besides, we have a Covid fund too.”
However, a minor glitch still remained. Cine Video and Stage Suppliers Welfare Association’s president Neet Paul said, “Despite being the backbone of the industry, we have repeatedly being ignored at all meetings. We were not called for the meeting even on Wednesday. If artists and technicians get insurance done, our members also need that. We won’t begin shooting from Thursday unless that is resolved.” But a television producer, on conditions of anonymity, said, “While one is taking cognizance of their point, why did the association wait till the last minute to press the panic button? The Artists’ Forum has been constantly discussing their issues. Why did they leave everything till the end and on Tuesday evening say that they will not cooperate?”
Meanwhile, another producer on conditions of anonymity said, “If they choose not to cooperate, we will still manage. Some suppliers have extended their support. If few others don’t, we will replace them. Shooting will definitely begin on Thursday.”
On Wednesday afternoon, members of Bangio Cholochitra Sanskriti Sangha had a meeting where the issue of the suppliers’ guild was discussed. Director Milan Bhowmick, who was part of the meeting along with former president of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association Krishna Daga, said, “We want shooting to resume. But, the members of the suppliers’ guild too need insurance cover.”
That apart, Bhowmick also insisted that in the new-normal world, no producer should be told how many members of FCTWEI need to be taken for shooting. “In a recent landmark judgement, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has told the All India Film Employees Confederation and Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) that they cannot insist producers to take only their members to work with them. That rule should be effective even in Bengal. It should be the director’s prerogative to decide on the number keeping the demands of the script in mind,” Bhowmick added.