Showing posts with label Dharmesh Tiwari. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dharmesh Tiwari. Show all posts
Filmmakers fear shooting in Mumbai due to dadagiri by FWICE
2:33 PM
With clashes between producers and the FWICE becoming rampant, filmmakers are opting to shoot outside Mumbai. BT investigates the matter
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; June 24, 2017)
Last Friday, an unpleasant
incident unfolded on the sets of Tumhari Sulu, when Vidya Balan and Neha
Dhupia
were filming the iconic Hawa Hawai number. Less than 30 minutes after the
camera rolled, members of the Federation of Western India Cine
Employees (FWICE), accompanied by their aides, arrived on the scene and
demanded that the shoot be halted. Their grouse was that the dancers for
the song had been hired through an external dance coordinator and not
their union.
BT was present on the set to witness the drama. One of the producers reasoned that there was no communication or agreement between the industry and the federation on the matter, but in vain. The union members still insisted that the dancers' payments be routed through them. When the dance coordinator argued that this amounted to extortion and an assault on his livelihood, a heated war of words ensued. Producer Tanuj Garg and executive producer Deepika Gandhi spent five hours trying to resolve the stand-off between the warring factions, but the union members left the set only after the coordinator was ousted in the wee hours of Saturday. Tanuj says, “It's unfortunate that producers suffer such unnecessary nuisance and stress while shooting in Mumbai. Anyway, what matters is that the song was completed as planned.“
A COMMON MENACE
This, as much as we'd like it to be, wasn't a stray incident. Over the last few months, similar ruckus has happened on the sets of filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar, Milan Luthria and Nikkhil Advani. Madhur, who has shot almost all his films in Mumbai, says that he continues to face issues even after two decades in the business. He presses the fact that for years, filmmakers have been campaigning for the one-window-one-permission plan, which can simplify the process for seeking permission to shoot films in Mumbai.
“The plan is still stuck in limbo,“ says Madhur, whose Indu Sarkar set in Karjat was invaded by the federation workers. He adds, “As on date, if we have to shoot anywhere in and around Mumbai, we need permissions from many bodies; each one of them has to be approached individually, which is time-consuming. There are thousands of workers' bodies and their representatives that land up on the set with the intention of making some quick buck. When you invest money to procure permission for a location and block a top star's dates, you don't want work to stop. You'd rather 'resolve' the matter amicably instead of halting the shoot for hours on end. Also, there are too many bodies representing the same categories of employees. They stamp on each other's feet, and in the bargain, the producers suffer monetarily and otherwise.“
FACTIONAL WARS IN FWICE ADD TO WOES
According to industry insiders, the situation has worsened over the last three years, particularly after FWICE chief Dharmesh Tiwari passed away. The federation's new governing heads have not been able to save it from getting fragmented, which has only made matters worse for producers who have to deal with every group separately.
Producer Mukesh Bhatt rues that even calling the cops doesn't help much. He adds, “Lately, there have been quite a few incidents of federation workers creating a ruckus on sets. I am not surprised that despite being the hub of show business, most film and TV show shoots have moved out of Mumbai. The ones that are here might also pack up soon. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wants to shoot here anymore. You see, workers and producers have to co-exist; dadagiri is no solution to any problem. The rules followed by the federation are age-old and don't fit into the scheme of things today. They need to revamp their way of functioning and their set of regulations.“
WILL FWICE BE DONE AWAY WITH?
A case for doing away with the FWICE is pending before the Competition Commission of India for the last 18 months and a decision is expected next month. Shoot disruptions are becoming increasingly common and producers are regularly inconvenienced by the ego wars and politics between industry factions. BMC and police woes only compound the problem. Siddharth Roy Kapur, the head of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, says, “The FWICE matter is sub judice; the commission is looking into the monopolistic and restrictive trade practices being indulged in by these associations, and a ruling is expected very soon.“
Producer Sandeep Singh points out another disturbing trend - increasing animosity amidst producers because of the problems they face while tackling the federation workers and resolving other issues. He says, “We're fragmented as an industry; we don't support each other. TV producers and channels are far better in that sense, they stand united in the face of a problem. Filmmakers are distracted - they first seek permissions, and then start fighting rabble rousers due to which the films suffer. There's a reason filmmakers run away from Mumbai for their shoots. As far as the case is concerned, even serious ones take five years to reach a conclusive judgement in our country. I don't think our case matters so much to the government.“
BT was present on the set to witness the drama. One of the producers reasoned that there was no communication or agreement between the industry and the federation on the matter, but in vain. The union members still insisted that the dancers' payments be routed through them. When the dance coordinator argued that this amounted to extortion and an assault on his livelihood, a heated war of words ensued. Producer Tanuj Garg and executive producer Deepika Gandhi spent five hours trying to resolve the stand-off between the warring factions, but the union members left the set only after the coordinator was ousted in the wee hours of Saturday. Tanuj says, “It's unfortunate that producers suffer such unnecessary nuisance and stress while shooting in Mumbai. Anyway, what matters is that the song was completed as planned.“
This, as much as we'd like it to be, wasn't a stray incident. Over the last few months, similar ruckus has happened on the sets of filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar, Milan Luthria and Nikkhil Advani. Madhur, who has shot almost all his films in Mumbai, says that he continues to face issues even after two decades in the business. He presses the fact that for years, filmmakers have been campaigning for the one-window-one-permission plan, which can simplify the process for seeking permission to shoot films in Mumbai.
“The plan is still stuck in limbo,“ says Madhur, whose Indu Sarkar set in Karjat was invaded by the federation workers. He adds, “As on date, if we have to shoot anywhere in and around Mumbai, we need permissions from many bodies; each one of them has to be approached individually, which is time-consuming. There are thousands of workers' bodies and their representatives that land up on the set with the intention of making some quick buck. When you invest money to procure permission for a location and block a top star's dates, you don't want work to stop. You'd rather 'resolve' the matter amicably instead of halting the shoot for hours on end. Also, there are too many bodies representing the same categories of employees. They stamp on each other's feet, and in the bargain, the producers suffer monetarily and otherwise.“
FACTIONAL WARS IN FWICE ADD TO WOES
According to industry insiders, the situation has worsened over the last three years, particularly after FWICE chief Dharmesh Tiwari passed away. The federation's new governing heads have not been able to save it from getting fragmented, which has only made matters worse for producers who have to deal with every group separately.
Producer Mukesh Bhatt rues that even calling the cops doesn't help much. He adds, “Lately, there have been quite a few incidents of federation workers creating a ruckus on sets. I am not surprised that despite being the hub of show business, most film and TV show shoots have moved out of Mumbai. The ones that are here might also pack up soon. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wants to shoot here anymore. You see, workers and producers have to co-exist; dadagiri is no solution to any problem. The rules followed by the federation are age-old and don't fit into the scheme of things today. They need to revamp their way of functioning and their set of regulations.“
WILL FWICE BE DONE AWAY WITH?
A case for doing away with the FWICE is pending before the Competition Commission of India for the last 18 months and a decision is expected next month. Shoot disruptions are becoming increasingly common and producers are regularly inconvenienced by the ego wars and politics between industry factions. BMC and police woes only compound the problem. Siddharth Roy Kapur, the head of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, says, “The FWICE matter is sub judice; the commission is looking into the monopolistic and restrictive trade practices being indulged in by these associations, and a ruling is expected very soon.“
Producer Sandeep Singh points out another disturbing trend - increasing animosity amidst producers because of the problems they face while tackling the federation workers and resolving other issues. He says, “We're fragmented as an industry; we don't support each other. TV producers and channels are far better in that sense, they stand united in the face of a problem. Filmmakers are distracted - they first seek permissions, and then start fighting rabble rousers due to which the films suffer. There's a reason filmmakers run away from Mumbai for their shoots. As far as the case is concerned, even serious ones take five years to reach a conclusive judgement in our country. I don't think our case matters so much to the government.“
Mahabharat actor & CINTAA gen sec Dharmesh Tiwari passes away
7:34 AM
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 7, 2014)
April 27, 1951 - Aug 6, 2014
Actor Dharmesh Tiwari, who is remembered for playing Kripacharya in Doordarshan's epic show Mahabharat passed away yesterday. He was 63.
Tiwari, who was also the General Secretary of Cine & T.V Artistes Association (CINTAA) and president of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), had gone to Chandigarh for a show.
A friend of Tiwari told Mirror, "He had gone to Chandigarh for some work associated with Mahabharat. He got up in the morning and complained of uneasiness. Some time later, he suffered a cardiac arrest."
Senior producer and Dharmesh's close friend Pahlaj Nihalani said: "I called him in the morning and somebody picked up the phone and said he is no more. Initially I thought the person was joking. He had diabetes but nobody expected that his end would be so sudden. He was quite active. His death is a big loss to our film fraternity. He was such a calming influence in our industry, always ready to sort out disputes and problems."
Tiwari is survived by his wife Roma and two daughters Anu and Nikita. Adds the friend, "He wanted Nikita to become a doctor. His dream was fulfilled when she went on to become a physiotherapist."
Producers seek cop protecton; want Mithun Chakraborty to resolve workers’ issue
7:54 AM
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; May 16, 2014)
"Mithun Chakraborty needs to wake up and smell the coffee,” said Vikas Mohan, senior vice-president, Indian Film and Television Producers Council at a press conference called by all producers’ bodies on Thursday.
These producers’ bodies had gathered in order to condemn the workers’ strike. Given that Mithun Chakraborty is the chairperson of Film Studio Settings and Allied Mazdoor Union, producers demanded that he take strict action against erring members of the workers’ organisation.
Ashoke Pandit, who heads the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association, said, “So many of our members have gone and met Mithun Chakraborty in order to complain about association chairman Gangeshwar Srivastav’s extortionist behaviour but he does not seem to listen to us. We want Mithun to replace Srivastav with some one else.” TV producers too pointed out how they were incurring huge losses due to this strike.
Producer NR Paschicia said, “Even if one day of shoot is lost, it makes a big difference to us as we have strict deadlines that need to be followed.” Producer J D Majethia added that TV producers suffer the most and that such workers’ problems were only adding to their woes.
On the other hand, Dharmesh Tiwari, president, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), reiterated that shoots should not extend beyond 12 hours. “We need to set up an enquiry into Monday’s incident where workers were allegedly assaulted by a production team. We should do so by calling both the parties but stopping shoots is no solution. I also request producers to work with the union and not with other political parties that are trying to make inroads into the film industry.”
Writer Kamlesh Pandey, general secretary, FWICE, says that their organisation has debarred Gangeshwar Srivastav for 15 years. “We issued several warnings to him for forcibly extorting money from producers. In fact, when co-member, Prem Singh Thakur, asked to look at the book of accounts, Srivastav had him ousted from the body. We want this racket to stop or else producers will be forced to declare free trade where they will work with people outside the union.”
---------------------
Rachana Dubey (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 16, 2014)
Following the disruption of shoots at Kilick Nixon Studios and Film City earlier this week, producers' bodies includ ing the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) have joined forces to condemn the Allied Mazdoor Union (AMU). Speaking against the union's secretary, Gangeshwar Shrivastav, they even named the producers who've bribed him in the past to avoid violence or disruption at shoots. A group of TV and film producers have also decided to meet with the police commissioner early next week and demand protection for their sets.
Ashoke Pandit, the official spokesperson, on behalf of the bodies, said, “We have to go to the cops. And maybe even move court and approach the CM. Gangeshwar was banned months ago but it didn't affect him. He's backed by actor Mithun Chakraborty, the Chairman of the AMU, who despite being informed about this nuisance, didn't act on it. The Federation (FWICE) has now suspended him and launched a non-cooperation movement against the AMU."
The AMU secretary had been suspended days before the incident at the Balaji Telefilms' set where he was bashed up by the Balaji staff when he disrupted the shoot. In response, he stalled shoots in Film City the following day which didn't agree with the producers' bodies. “In the guise of helping workers, he extorts money. A few days ago, he tried the same stunt with Sajid Nadiadwala who was shooting Kick at Mehboob Studios. Sajid seeeked help from MNS workers and resumed his shoot. Following that, J D Majethia has said that if Gangeshwar is not controlled now, the producers will have to resort to free trade whereby they will be free to use workers from any union which can politicise the industry unnecessarily,“ adds Ashoke.
Gangeshwar, who is unperturbed by his suspension, says, “Our demands are basic: food, safety and wages on time. But the producers bodies aren't addressing these concerns or even willing to discuss it. If need be, even we will move court for our rights"
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