Colors’ show Choti Sardarni is gaining popularity and even though it’s new, the fan base is quiet strong. With surging TRPs every week, the show is making a special place in the hearts of it’s viewers. But there is something which is not so well on the sets of the show.
Yesterday, a workers union called Allied Mazdoor Union came to it’s sets and stalled the shoot of the show. The reason cited for such ruckus was the unsettled dues of the workers from the producer’s end. The reports going around say that the non payment of dues is bringing the union and producers at loggerheads and it has been going on for a while now.
According to a report in The Bombay Times, Pradeep Kumar, of the producer duo of him and Rajesh Ram Singh was quoted saying, “Members of the union, which represents workers in the art department, have been visiting the set every now and then, demanding payment of dues. But the truth is that we have made some payment. In fact, the last payment was made on Wednesday (August 11).”
He adds, “The show’s art director, Parul Bose, exceeded the budget allocated for set design, which was also cleared by us. In the first week of July, I held a meeting with labor union representatives and Parul, when she mentioned that a balance payment of two sets — `35 lakh (Filmcity) and `3.5 lakh (Mira Road) — was pending. We cleared it in three installments, but the labor union is now saying that `20 lakh is still pending. We just want them to share the relevant documents with us, but we haven’t received it yet. It’s against the law to halt a shoot. We had to call the cops on Thursday, and it’s only after their intervention that work could resume.”
Parul however, refuted the claim and said, “The producers haven’t cleared my dues and still owe me around `45 lakh. Talking about exceeding the budget, the original budget was unrealistic. I haven’t been able to pay my vendors. Ever since we started working on the show, I have been sharing a weekly report on the workers’ fees with the production house. I called them incessantly for two months, but they didn’t budge.”
Gangeshwar Shrivatsav, general secretary, Film Studio and Allied Mazdoor Union, and FWICE treasurer adds, “We shared the ledger with the producers a month ago, but no action has been taken, yet. If they had an issue with the art director, they should have brought it to our notice back then. Yes, they released payment on two-three occasions, but it was lesser than what was promised. Our laborers still have to be paid `21 lakh. The production house is expected to make payments on a weekly basis, but the laborers, including the lightmen, haven’t been paid for four months. We are not in favor of stopping the shoot, but if the laborers decide to do so, we can’t be held responsible. If the dues aren’t cleared, we will approach the federation, involving cameramen and directors as well.”
FOr more updates on the matter, stay tuned to this section of Tellyupdates.