Cast & crew of Hamari Bahu Silk stage protest outside producer’s home for dues
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2020)

It’s been over nine months since Hamari Bahu Silk (HBS) went off air. On Saturday, some of its actors and technicians, who’re yet to be paid their dues, held a dharna outside the residence of Jyoti Gupta, who produced the Zee TV show along with Devyani Rele and Sudhanshu Tripathi.

Lead actor, Zaan Khan, who led the protest, which included director Ashish Khurana and DoP Indranil Singha among others, says that Jyoti was not home, but his wife and son came out to meet them. “We had to call the cops only after which we got Jyoti on the phone. He told the cops that he will return on September 16 and meet us after that,” he informs.

The actor, who is staying in a rented apartment in Andheri, shares that he had to sell his car to pay the rent. “It’s not as if the Coronavirus-triggered lockdown brought the show to a halt. It ended in November 2019, so I don’t understand why they have yet to settle our dues,” he says, unable to understand why he has to run pillar to post for his remuneration after working 18 hours a day for seven-eight months for the show.

Zaan rues that the authorities haven’t been of much help apart from one warning letter from Union I&B Minister, Prakash Javadekar. “There’s no resolution in sight even though CINTAA (Cine & Television Artistes Association) and IFTPC (Indian Film & Television Producers Council) have been following up on this for months now. J D Majethia, chairman of the TV division of IFTPC, told us that they’re on it, but we’re yet to get a definite response. The police refused to register an FIR saying it’s a civil matter. We maintain it’s a criminal offence since the cheques issued to us have bounced,” says an aggrieved Zaan.

Jyoti responded by arguing why the team didn’t protest outside the Zee office because the channel hasn’t cleared payment since November, last year. “They know that the matter is now being handled by the producers’ association, IFTPC, in consultation with channel authorities. The Federation (FWICE—Federation of Western India Cine Employees) is also aware and J D Majethia is personally looking into it. A dharna is unethical given that these bodies are looking to resolve the issue,” he averred.

Aparna Bhosle, Business Head, Zee TV, said, “It is deeply unfortunate that the cast and crew have’t received their due remuneration. Zee TV is more than willing to release the payment. The crux of the matter lies in an ongoing dispute amongst the co-producers of the show and their financers, which has not been amicably resolved, nor have they come back to us with a proposal for us to be able to release the payments. We’re evaluating all options including engaging with trade associations to come to a resolution of the matter expeditiously.” 

From airing original web series to re-telecasting Ramayan and Mahabharat, the small screen is here for the big rescue 
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 29, 2020)

In times of social distancing due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many are stuck at home with nothing to do. And television is going all out to help people stay indoors. Some channels are airing popular old shows, others plan to showcase a mix of original OTT shows and old popular serials.

Zee TV amped up its prime time — 9 pm to 11 pm — with brand new content and, from March 25, began airing three series — Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat (KTBM), Baarish and Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain — produced by Ekta Kapoor for her OTT platform ALT Balaji. Zee TV’s business head Aparna Bhosle says, “We’re also reintroducing classics like Kasamh Se and Brahmrakshas.”

Moreover, after an intense appeal on social media, Union minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted that “on public demand”, two episodes of the mega popular shows, Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan (1987) and B R Chopra’s Mahabharat (1988) would be aired on DD National daily.

Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala, who played Sita in Ramayan, feels the show has been an integral part of our culture and people appreciate it even today. Chikhalia admits as the show is 33 years old, it will seem slow and urges people to have patience with it. She says, “There are people who loved watching the show which became a sensation in the late ’80s, so they’ll definitely tune in. There is a lot to take away from Ramayan.”

Prem Sagar, who’s the son of the show’s late director, says that even though Ramayan aired on different channels, this will be the show’s second telecast on DD since 1988. “The story of the Ramayan is eternal and has been passed down over generations. He (Ramanand Sagar) was born to make the show and only after reading 14 versions of the epic, did he write the show,” he shares.

And while Hotstar’s original series Hostages will air on Star Plus along with other web shows, the entire revamping will also give fresh content for viewers who haven’t seen them online. With two of his web shows being aired on two different channels, actor Ronit Roy thinks it is a great idea to air web shows on channels. He says, “There is a huge section of the audience that doesn’t watch web shows. And now with the lockdown, they have an opportunity to catch up. It is a great idea as most TV shows don’t have a bank of episodes, while OTT platforms have a lot of shows to keep people glued to their screens. It’s a wonderful idea to utilise what they have.”

On learning about the mega shows, actor Neena Gupta says her 1998 show, Saans, should be aired once again as well. And who knows, maybe this re-telecast of popular shows on DD might start a whole new trend, apart from driving away your lockdown blues.
------------------------------
Ramayan and Mahabharat are still relevant

The country would come to a standstill and streets would be deserted when Ramayan and Mahabharat were aired. Though other versions were produced later, none could match their success. Nitish Bhardwaj, who played Lord Krishna in Mahabharat, says, “Mahabharat is still relevant. It is a golden opportunity for millennials as it teaches you to live, about power struggles, and the correct definition of Dharma, which is not about any religion. Don’t compare its VFX with modern technology, focus on the dialogues by Dr Rahi Mazoom Raza and the performances by the cast.”