Apart from Mukherjee, the actors in the project – Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Aparajita Addy, among others – had turned up at the studio for the shoot. Miffed by the technicians’ behaviour towards Mukherjee, who is facing a three-month ban by the Federation of Cine Technicians’ Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI), the directors too have threatened to boycott film shoots on Monday.
Extending support to Mukherjee, film director and Trinamool Congress legislator Raj Chakraborty has said that “we directors have given two days’ time to the Federation to reconsider their decision”.
Mukherjee courted controversy in connection with the filming of Bangladeshi series ‘Lohu’ using technicians from that country that went against the norms of FCTWEI.
“Through a lot of hardship I am trying to make a film. I request everyone to allow me to shoot the film peacefully,” Rahool Mukehrjee told reporters.
Raj Chakraborty termed the development an insult just to Rahool but to all directors. “The Directors Guild allowed him to work. But his work was stopped. Technicians are like family to us. If technicians decide that they will not turn up if directors are on the floor, I will ask the Federation to take time and decide. We directors have given them two days to think… Can work continue if we directors remain absent?” he asked reporters.
Saturday’s development comes amid FCTWEI’s clarification that Mukherjee can continue as creative producer of the film. Directors and actors from the industry, including Raj Chakraborty, Kaushik Gangopadhyay, and Arindam Sil reached the studio and held discussions with Mukherjee and expressed their dissent over the stand of the technicians.
The filmmaker planned to start shooting on Saturday as the directors in West Bengal under ‘Directors Association of Eastern India (Film and TV)’ in a statement extended support to Mukherjee “who could not be blamed” on the matter.
Prosenjit Chatterjee who is part of the project also expressed dismay on coming to know that the shoot will not happen. “I have been suffering from a mental problem since the past nine days. We actors prepare at night and then act in the day. For the past nine days I am reading the scenes and then in the morning I am hearing the shoot will not happen. There should be love and respect towards each other. I have been working for 49 years. Let us create things with love,” he told reporters.
Dipak Adhikari, better known as Dev actor and also a Trinamool Congress MP said requested the media from to refrain from giving a political colour to this issue. “I want it to be resolved peacefully through dialogue with technicians. We want work to start soon,” he said.
Film director Kaushik Gangopadhyay who was also present on the spot, questioned the attitude of the technicians. “When the directors guild (Directors Association of Eastern India) has allowed him to shoot, why is this happening? This is so insulting to directors,” he remarked.
The production on Lohu, a show on Bangladesh’s OTT platform Chorki, had to be suspended last year after FCTWEI alleged that Mukherjee had bypassed their regulation regarding foreign productions. However, Mukherjee continued the shoot with Bangladeshi technicians.
The FCTWEI ban had triggered a massive debate within West Bengal’s entertainment industry. The Indian Express could not get a response from FCTWEI on the issue on Saturday.