The cast and crew of Rhododendron cannot really say, all’s well that ends well, as the entire crew was stuck in
Kalimpong
for several hours due to delay in payment. They were supposed to check out on May 29, early morning, but the crew including
Paayel Sarkar,
Mainak Banerjee and others had to wait until the bills were cleared by the production team.
The crew was shooting in Kalimpong from May 24 and was supposed to wrap up the shoot by May 28. However, the hotel wasn’t ready to let them leave. Director
Argha Deep Chatterjee said, “We completed the shoot without any hurdle. But the producer didn’t clear the hotel bills on time. The actors, as well as the technicians, were stuck for about six hours. We had to wait on the road for the production team to clear the bills.”
Though the actors left immediately after the issue was sorted out, some had to stay back for the lack of transport. The director added, “Actors missed the flight today but they will catch the first flight tomorrow. Other technicians went back by bus and train from
Siliguri
. Now, four of us are stuck here for the next two days as no trains are available before that.”
The producer of the film, Harit Ratna, on the other hand, had a different story to narrate. “No one was stuck in Kalimpong. The local production coordinator messed up the whole situation.” He said since the local coordinator was insisting on a cash transaction, the payment got delayed. “I wasn’t going to pay by cash. The crew was not allowed to leave for a few hours as they had to wait till I made the transaction online.” Contradicting the director, Harit said, “Arghya Deep had planned a holiday after the shooting schedule. What he said is incorrect. It is not that they didn’t get a train, he and his wife along with a few others from the crew have stayed back on purpose.” Paayel Sarkar, on her part, said, “I am on my way back home. I don’t want to comment on what happened in Kalimpong.”