Tollywood in turmoil: Srijit Roy’s shoot interrupted amid feud with Federation

KOLKATA: It looks like Tollywood has hit another roadblock just when some Bengali films were starting to find their footing in theatres, and directors were bringing new energy to their projects. On Tuesday, the shooting of director-producer Srijit Roy’s latest Bengali serial came to an abrupt halt over some past comments he allegedly made about the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI). Speaking about the incident in a Facebook live, Roy, known for directing popular daily soaps like ‘Bhootu’ and ‘Tobu Mone Rekho’, said the shooting was stalled because none of the technicians showed up on set. “I’ve been accused of making anti-Federation remarks, which led to the halt of my shoot. But I haven’t received any official notice about these allegations. I have incurred more than Rs 20 lakh loss due to the shooting delay,” Roy said.
This is not the first time Tollywood has faced such issues. Earlier this year, Kaushik Ganguly’s film and Joydeep Mukherjee’s web series ‘Advocate Achinta Aich Season 2’ also ran into trouble due to similar tensions between filmmakers and technicians. Both the projects are yet to go on floors.
The rift between the director and the Federation made news in July 2024, when director Rahool Mukherjee was slapped with a three-month suspension for ‘unlawful shooting’ in Bangladesh. The rift led to a deadlock in the industry, with many directors coming together to call for changes to the “random” rules set by the Federation. Things seemed to calm down after CM Mamata Banerjee intervened, setting up a review committee that included ministers like Arup Biswas and Indranil Sen, along with filmmakers like Goutam Ghose and actors like Prosenjit and Dev. Banerjee said no one should be banned, and new rules would be put in place by November. But, as of now, no new rules have been made.
Parambrata Chatterjee, Sudeshna Roy, Subrata Sen and Raj Chakraborty, members of the Directors Association of Eastern India (DAEI), rushed to Dasani Studios on Tuesday after hearing about Roy’s Facebook live. Parambrata, whose Bengali film ‘Ei Raat Tomar Amar’ is running in the theatres, pointed out that the review committee was supposed to draft new rules, but nothing has happened yet. “I urge the members of the committee to step up and find a solution for this. After Joydeep da’s film, now Srijit’s shoot has been stalled too. A serial needs 300-400 technicians, and everyone’s suffering. So, who’s actually benefiting from this deadlock?” Parambrata questioned. However, the directors are confident that through dialogue the issue can be solved. The directors’ body is looking forward to a positive response from Federation on Wednesday.
A few months ago, the DAEI even filed a case with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against the FCTWEI, accusing them of trying to monopolise the industry. With three projects already on hold at the start of 2025, it remains to be seen how the industry will respond.