KOLKATA: After the mega meeting of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) on May 1, rumours started floating in the Bengali film industry that several crew members were planning to “boycott” directors like Anirban Bhattacharya, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Sudeshna Roy, who went to the Calcutta HC against FCTWEI for interfering in work. Now, those rumours have turned out to be true as Anirban’s music video shoot has been cancelled.
This feud between the Federation and the Directors’ Guild isn’t a new one. The tensions have been bubbling up since last year, with frequent headlines about deadlocks in the Tollywood scene due to ongoing disputes. Both sides have accused each other of “non-cooperation.” It’s worth mentioning that Anirban isn’t just an actor. He’s also a director. Despite this, the Artists’ Forum has made it clear that they won’t be stepping in to resolve the conflict between the newly-formed Directors’ Guild and the Federation.
Meanwhile, Federation president Swarup Biswas plans to take Bengal’s issues to the national stage during the All India Technicians’ Association’s upcoming movement. “All the technicians’ employee associations from across the country will be there in Chennai. We will also bring up the problems we’re facing in Bengal. Just as we’ve been informed about the concerns from the Tamil Federation, we will highlight how legal cases have been filed against us,” he said.
Now this gives rise to another concern. Will the technicians’ boycott of directors like Anirban and Parambrata now spread to the national level? If that happens, the challenges for these director-actors will only get tougher, especially since they’re working not just in Tollywood but also in Bollywood.