Back to lights, camera, action: Business as usual in Tollygunge
Telegraph | 11 February 2025
Studios in Tollygunge were back to their usual bustling self on Monday.
Lights and props were set up and cameras rolled again. Actors were back in business and directors called the shots.
A stand-off between directors and technicians had crippled work for several days last week. The impasse was resolved following a meeting between the two sides, presided by two Bengal ministers on Friday evening.
Work resumed at some studios on Saturday itself. February 9 was the second Sunday of the month, usually an off-day at Tollygunge. So, full-fledged shooting started on Monday.
At Dassani Studio on Moore Avenue, the creation of a set for an upcoming serial was stopped midway from last Monday allegedly because a section of technicians — owing allegiance to the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India — stopped going to work.
The director of the serial, Srijit Roy, was accused of passing derogatory comments against the federation, a charge he denied.
The incident at Dassani Studio is said to have triggered the latest friction between the federation and the directors' guild. On Thursday, the guild declared that its members would not go to the floors until their demands were met.
On Monday, set construction was in full flow at Dassani Studio. A dozen-odd people were busy with building props when Metro visited the spot.
Roy, busy again, did not take calls from this newspaper.
The directors have been asked to submit a "list of anomalies" affecting the work environment in the industry to the ministers by February 20. After that, another meeting will be held with all stakeholders.
The directors’ guild has accused the federation of acting like a regulatory body without such authority. The alleged high-handedness of the federation, which includes banning people at will, is ruining the work environment, the directors have alleged.
The directors' guild has said that the federation cannot act against a director without prior intimation.
The director and the production house will share the list of technicians for a shoot with the federation. If there is an issue with the list, the federation can discuss it with the directors. Under no circumstances should work be stopped based on some verbal diktat, the directors have demanded.