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The film industry appears to be a glamorous place from afar but apart from the lead actors who walk away with the spotlight, there are many others on the screen who contribute in making a film a wholesome experience. Junior artistes, who are often seen as nameless and faceless beings on the screen, are essential to the making of a movie in India. These artistes are often seen in the background of a scene when two actors are fighting each other and these are the people who fill up the frame when the lead actors are making declarations of love. Basically, junior artistes are the ones who help in making the fictional universe into a lived-in reality.
In an old interview with Lehren Retro, a junior artiste named Sitaram Kadam shared that back in the 1970s, he would make just Rs 13 per day, as opposed to the early 2000s, when he had started making Rs 1,000-1,300 per day. He shared that he has had near fatal accidents on a movie set, and has also grabbed opportunities in iconic ads, and he feels grateful to be in the movies.
Sitaram shared that he started working in the movies in 1974, in a film called Samjhauta. This video was presumably recorded in the early 2000s. “When I joined the industry, I would get paid Rs 13, now I get around Rs 1000-1300. So it has been nice for me, I have not faced many problems. I have made money through this profession, got married because of it. Now I have kids. They are older and educated now,” he said, expressing his regard towards the film industry. He recalled that he joined the movies for a stable income. “My mother would get paid Rs 1.5 per day, and my father would get Rs 2.5 per day. I couldn’t study much,” he said.
Sitaram shared that he worked as a junior artist from 1974-1986, and then moved on to working as an assistant with a junior artiste co-ordinator. He explained that his job required him to take directions from the assistant director, as to how they would want the background action to be, and then explain it to his artiste. He recalled that while working on one such project, he landed a role in a Kodak ad. This later led to the famous Fevicol ad, where he played the man who couldn’t break an egg.
“Then I did that Fevicol ad, which became very famous. There are some people in the industry who know my name but those who don’t, they recognise me from the Fevicol ad,” he said and recalled that when he visited Varanasi, he actually experienced fans screaming for him. “A couple of years ago, I was in Varanasi for the shoot of Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai, half the crowd went mad after me. I felt like a famous person there. Amitabh Bachchan ji, Shah Rukh Khan ji, Abhishek Bachchan ji, there are many actors who recognise my face and know my name as well,” he said.
He also recalled a near-fatal accident on the set of the 1992 film Khule-Aam, which was directed by Guru Dutt’s son. He shared that during an action sequence, where the action director had placed bombs across the set, he wasn’t aware that a bomb was placed right next to him, “If I hadn’t run, it would have been disastrous for me.”
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