Stand-off continues, no Bengali TV serial shooting for 4th day

The stand-off between artistes and producers of Bengali TV serials here continued for the fourth day today with no shooting taking place in any of the eight studios.

None of the two warring sides, the Artists Forum and the Welfare Association of Television Producers (WATP), refused to budge from their stands on the issue of regularisation of pay.

The Forum was ready for talks with the WATP but the producers should initiate the process and write a letter to the Forum at the earliest, its General Secretary Arindam Ganguly told reporters after an internal meeting.

"We do not have any closed mind-set. In the interest of everyone concerned, we are ready to start shooting at any moment but that has to be preceded by a discussion with the WATP that must send us a letter inviting us for talks," said Ganguly, also an actor.

He said the Forum was not budging from its demand for payment of the salaries of every artiste within the 15th of the next month and hourly basis of payment if the shooting schedule of an artiste exceeded 10 hours.

This arrangement has been agreed upon in the July 8 meeting between the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of East India, the Forum and the producers, he said.

Ganguly said many producers paid the salary of the artistes in the given time, but many did not and the Forum took up the agitation in the interest of every artiste.

The WATP yesterday said the July 8 meeting did not pass any resolution about the payment system and only recorded the minutes.

Ganguly, however, said this was not true and alleged that the producers did not show any initiative to resolve the impasse.

Due to the disruption of the shooting schedule, the channels were forced to go for repeat telecast of the episodes aired earlier, a spokesman of the WATP said.

The Star Jalsha channel said in a statement, "In West Bengal the shooting of all television shows has presently been stalled due to an ongoing standoff between the Artists Forum and the WATP."