Prominent actor-director Anirban Bhattacharya is at the centre of a growing dispute with film technicians in Tollywood, leading to repeated disruptions in the shooting of his music videos.

The Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India has allegedly called for “lifelong non-cooperation” against individuals, including Bhattacharya, who have filed a case in the Calcutta High Court against the Federation.

The escalating tensions came to a head on Monday, when Bhattacharya held a press conference at Yogesh Mime Academy at noon. He announced that shooting for a music video has stopped, as he has “received” no response to his messages or calls to technicians. He said, “The fight (I am in) for shooting may be long, and (I am) ready for this fight.”

In April this year, Bhattacharya and other filmmakers had moved the Calcutta High Court to “put a check” on the alleged interference of the Federation in the work of directors.

On May 1, a large-scale meeting organised by the Federation hinted at “tough decisions” against those involved in the High Court case against them, a discussion that reportedly became heated.

On May 13, the Federation allegedly communicated a collective decision of “non-cooperation” to the production company SVF, specifically targeting Bhattacharya. A day later on May 14, the scheduled shooting for one of his music videos was halted.

Bhattacharya told mediapersons on Monday, “I’m not the kind of person who will give up and cry in regret. I will try again. I will try so that I can execute this. So, we’ll see.”

He has claimed that he will formally inform the court about the entire matter and will also inform them about the next steps to be taken. Bhattacharya is acting in the film ‘Raghu Dakat’, and has several directorial projects lined up — but now he is worried about their release.

However, he maintained: “Bengali is my language. I have learned a lot from this industry… Whatever I know today, it’s all because of Bengal. There’s no question of going anywhere else.”