With no word yet from producers, Tollywood imbroglio continues

Kolkata: The stalemate in the shooting of television serials in Tollywood continues as the artistes and technicians are yet to arrive at a negotiation with the producers.

The ceasework is the result of a demand by the Artistes' Forum to regularise pay. The talks between it and the Welfare Association of Television Producers (WATP) are yet to yield results.

In a Press release issued on Tuesday by the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India, signed by senior artistes like Soumitra Chatterjee, its president, Prosenjit Chatterjee, its working president and Arindam Ganguly, general secretary, the artistes have agreed to join work the moment WATP agrees to implement the MoU signed between the producers and the artistes.

The future of nearly 10,000 artistes and technicians has become uncertain because of the stalemate. The artistes have also agreed to sit with the producers.

Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee told newsmen that the Artistes' Forum did not wish to disrupt shooting schedules of TV serials, but the July 8 agreement between the Television Producers' body should be respected and artistes should be paid regularly.

While the agreement between producers and the forum had stipulated that the artistes should get their salaries within the 15th day of the next month, many producers did not honour it and did not arrange the payment overdue to the artistes, Chatterjee maintained.

He said in the given situation, it is not possible to resume work unless the producers pay the arrears. Chatterjee made it clear though that he was only referring to a section of producers and not all. The ceasework has been disrupting the overall shooting schedules.

Forum general secretary and actor Arindam Ganguly said the July 8 agreement had also specified that any artiste working for more than 10 hours should be paid on an hourly basis after the expiry of the scheduled time. That too had not been honoured by a section of producers.

He said the state government is aware of the situation. "Minister Aroop Biswas has been updated of the developments at the meeting and he is trying to arrive at a solution," he added. Meanwhile, there was no shooting during the day in all the eight studios located across different areas of South Kolkata, due to the ceasework.