Production schedules of films and TV shows went haywire yesterday, after thousands of technicians refused to report to work and went on a flash strike.

The workers were protesting the measly wages they were paid and long working hours they were made to endure by producers.

Also read: Lights, camera, shutdown: When Bollywood came to a standstill...


Shooting pain: Hundreds of workers gathered at Film City in Goregaon, where they shouted slogans against producers for exploiting them. Pic/Ronak Savla

The spark that triggered the protest was an alleged assault on a technician by members of Ekta Kapoor’s production team on Monday.

When the light man shut off the lights after the regulatory 12-hour shift, a production member allegedly beat him up. Technicians then called in committee members of the Film Studios Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union.


The three committee members of the union, who had gone to discuss their members’ wages and working hours, were allegedly assaulted by people from the Balaji production team and security guards

The three members — Naveen Singh, Dharmendra Rawat and Deepak Shrivastav — arrived at the Killick Nixon studio in Chandivli, Powai to discuss the situation and also the working hours and wages.
The problem is not of a singular incident; workers are unhappy with their remuneration in general. Some workers claimed that they are not paid on time, while others said that they were made to do overtime. “We are like daily wage workers and it has become increasingly difficult to take care of basic expenses with such a low pay. According to the members, they are paid anywhere between Rs 650 to Rs 800 per day, with around Rs 82 for conveyance and nearly Rs 100 for breakfast and lunch daily. Overtime is variable — some producers pay, while others don’t.