A face in the bheed: Three years since lockdown, Bollywood daily wagers are still struggling

“I stopped working because my health started giving up on me,” says Ghulam Sattar who worked on television shows as a lightman. Ghulam, during the pandemic, received aid from Sajid Nadiadwala and was looking forward for business to get back on track but now, at the age of 57, he says, his knee injury didn’t recover as expected. “I tried work after Covid-19, but it was too slow and too less, so I gave up, I can’t say that I happily retired. However, now my sons go out for work and I try to rest at home. My elder son is also a lightman and has gone to Bhopal for a shoot, my younger son doesn’t keep too well, so he works when something comes up in Mumbai. I miss work gravely and it feels like so many years of my work life were stolen by the pandemic, but we are slowly coping with it and getting back on track.”

TV shoot during the pandemic. (Photo: PR handout)

Rakesh Maurya, a spotboy by profession and the president of Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union says, “After Covid-19 passed, we thought work will start soon, but then started the black phase in Bollywood with most films flopping and not earning at the box office, so, most production houses were scared to start shooting their big-budgeted films which resulted in more technicians remaining jobless. However, now, after YRF’s Pathaan was a big hit, many producers are getting their confidence back, and bigger films are being made again. We are getting work for OTT platforms slowly too. Things are slow, much slower than we expected them to be. We are waiting for shoots to begin in full force. Today, the number of films being made in Bollywood has come down considerably, and what we would earn in a month, we aren’t able to make even in two-three months.”

Ashok Variava, general secretary of the Bollywood Photographer Association, who was hopeful about work when the lockdown restrictions were relaxed, says, “Things are changing at the fast pace, and it’s becoming more and more challenging as producers’ requirements are different, cameras are very costly but no one wants to pay us more. Every year we need to invest in a new camera, which costs anything between Rs 5-6 lakh. There was an issue with our trade union, so the federation (FWICE) which was helping us so much during the pandemic, suddenly has many restrictions. When it comes to our stalled payments, nobody is taking the responsibility to resolve the issue.”

Kuranakar Bangera of Bollywood Dancers Association tells us that the situation for background dancers is pretty bad after the pandemic. He says, “More and more non members are being hired for songs in films today while members are left jobless. Producers are cutting cost and paying non members Rs 1000- 1200 per day and getting their work done. Post-pandemic, it seems like there are no rules and regulations, the federation is not able to help us either. Members complain regularly because they are still out of work.”

Ashok Dubey, general secretary of FWICE, tells us work is starting slow, too slow to be sustainable. He says, “When the lockdown was lifted and all the big films started tanking, producers were vary. But now things are getting back on track and shoots of big films and web-series has started. But hardly any shooting is happening in Mumbai and Maharashta, there are more outdoor shoots happening and junior artistes are not taken for shoots outside the city, unless they need a particular face on their project. Even dancers are getting less work right now because big film shoots were on a hold. But now many Dharma, YRF films have started shooting so daily wage workers, junior artistes and dancers are slowing getting work.”

Dubey shares how some big production houses like Yash Raj Films, Frames Production and others have continued to give aid to workers. He shares, “Big production houses are still trying to help out the workers. YRF is still sending rationing kits to around 1500 workers, paying for medical expenses and giving other aid as well. Frames Production has taken up the responsibility of sponsoring education for 25 children of junior artistes, so that help is still coming in. However, some production houses are making workers work longer hours and giving them lesser pays too.”