‘A transparent, healthy work environment is all we ask for’

Over the past few days both filmmakers and technicicans have been trading barbs over their respective demands, bringing all work in Tollywood to a grinding halt. While the former went on an indefinite strike until a complete overhaul of the shooting process is achieved, the latter under the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India, seemed firm in their decision to boycott the film which Rahool Mukherjee was supposed to helm, citing the rule book. Beyond the allegations flying thick and fast, what has emerged is a near-unanimous call for a more professional work environment in Tollywood that is under considerable financial stress.

The stringent laws of the Federation need to be reviewed for a healthy work environment. Of course, there will be rules and regulations, but there should be room for flexibility too – Amit Das, TV director

Beyond the hurt, the allegations and the insults, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed beyond what is being circulated in the media right now – Arindam Sil, filmmaker

Demands put forward by the directors:
It is not a divide and rule situation between the parties as is being projected. We need each other at every step
Ad makers cannot be forced to work with a fixed number of technicians, when a certain project can be done on a lesser budget and lesser number of technicians
Rigid rules put up by the Federation need to be revised, so that more production houses come to Bengal for work
A proper guideline needs to be introduced with legal and unambiguous demarcations between what is a rule and what is not

‘We are all technicians, there are no differences’
Having worked together for years, most filmmakers identify as technicians as well. Kaushik Ganguly pointed out in a press conference on Monday, “I was not aware that there are demarcations between technicians and filmmakers. I am sure the technicians who are speaking against us, know how much we love them.” Raj Chakrabarty added, “We were looking forward to announcing call times today, and expecting a positive outcome from the Federation meet. It’s time we seek a third party intervention.”
The division is uncalled for, say TV directors
For TV directors too, it is an uncalled for situation. Amit Sengupta said, “The unpleasant situation needs to come to an end, as its all about team work.” Bijay Majhi too agreed, saying, “This division is unacceptable as we work for 12-13 hours per day, as a family.” Sayantan Mukherjee points out, “We have built a set for the the serial, and we are having to pay for it, even though there’s no shoot happening.”

A better workflow is needed for ad shoots
Aritra Dutta Banik, a media professional expressed how they are having to shift two ad shoots to other cities. “Investors are worried the shoot will get delayed. In a situation where technicians are not listening to stars like Prosenjit Chatterjee, there are greater chances of them not cooperating with us at all,” he told CT when contacted.

There’s a lot of coordination that goes into the making of a show. Getting dates from the people involved is a tedious task, and rescheduling a shoot is not easy – Avijit Sen, filmmaker and director of a music reality show
Work for four serials, two films and one web series is stalled because of the current situation. We need to sit and come to a conclusion soon – Nispal Singh, producer
We need a long-term and a professionally handled solution to the problems we have all been facing as directors – Anirban Bhattacharya

A reaction post on Facebook

Rules are there for a reason, say technicians
Citing how 12 technicians from a film unit were penalised a few months back for not abiding by the rulebook, Swapan Majumdar, secretary of the Cinematographer’s Association said, “We also want everyone to be back on the floor as soon as possible. But our only contention is Rahool Mukherjee can not direct a film as it was decided. We have no issues with him being a creative producer for the film (starring Prosenjit and Anirban). A rule is a rule, and it applies to everyone.”



Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”