Tollywood's ugly Game of Thrones

Tollywood might be churning out flops by the dozen, but the biggest hit playing near you is the high-voltage tamasha over who controls the destiny of this industry. Like all things Bengali — ilish-chingri, ghoti-bangal, East Bengal-Mohun Bagan — there are two warring groups in this game of thrones too. On one side are the King’s men, those who stand with he who must be named — Shrikant Mohta, patron saint of many stars and directors, de facto chief of Tollywood’s biggest production house and the president of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association. On the challenger’s side are the father-son duo of Ashok and Himanshu Dhanuka, big producers who want to break Shrikant’s iron grip on the industry. There are also politicians — and politics — in good measure and other fringe players, but before that, some questions that you might want answered.
What is the problem all about?
The fire started when the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India — the umbrella body for all technical staff of Tollywood — stopped the shooting of the Dhanukas’ Chalbaaz in London last month, ostensibly because an adequate number of technicians had not been taken there.
But who decides what’s an adequate number?
In Bengal, the Federation does. In the name of protecting technicians’ rights and jobs, they stipulate which production team needs how many people, especially if the shoot is abroad. There have been instances where a team has had to hire a trolley operator even if there is no trolley shot in the film!
Is that why the Dhanukas are angry?
Though they claim to have lost `1 crore in London, no one knows that for sure. Because of this standoff, the Federation has banned them, which means they won’t be able to hire technicians for work. But the Dhanukas claim that it’s not just about Chalbaaz. They say the dadagiri of the Federation — and Shrikant’s camp — has to stop. Now the split in Tollywood’s governing body is in the open. We present to you the many players in the potboiler.
Shrikant Mohta, President, EIMPA
When in trouble, call Shrikant Mohta. That has been the norm in Tollywood for years now. But then, don’t depend on him, as he might or might not answer back. A busy producer and well-connected with the present political dispensation, he helms Eastern India Motion Pictures Association as its president. A control freak, Shrikant reportedly raised hell after the producers’ section of EIMPA held a press con in support of Ashok and Himanshu Dhanuka while he was abroad. On his return, he didn’t waste a minute in meeting the Federation members and chalking out his own plan of action. Apparently there are also plans to change the guidelines on the hiring of technicians. Despite it being an off day, he summoned the executive committee members of EIMPA on Saturday and got the July 25 token strike called off. Just like that. In private, he has been heard complaining about the Dhanukas, who he feels are serial defaulters.
Arup Biswas, MLA
Sibling of Federation chief Swarup Biswas, he enjoys the distinction of being Tollywood’s big brother. Though the Tollygunge MLA keeps a chock-a-block diary, the popular belief is that he ghost-manages the film industry in Bengal. Whenever there is a political rally or another state-sponsored awards ceremony, the stars can be seen milling around this man. Strangely enough, all warring parties in Tollywood land at his doorstep and the Dhanukas are no exception. So when the Federation and the producer duo failed to resolve the impasse, Arup chose to intervene. He held a meeting with Shrikant Mohta and Krishna Daga recently and heard out the case. Many feel that the ban on the Dhanukas has not been lifted yet as they haven’t convinced Arup till now. To remain in the industry, one must be in his good books.
Dev, Actor-MP
Only last year, while shooting for Shrikant Mohta’s Love Express, Dev was in for a rude shock when the Federation demanded that one more technician be taken to the Turkey leg of the shoot at the last minute. He not just called up the CM to resolve the issue but also promised to take it up with her after the assembly elections. This time around, after the Dhanukas were cornered in the UK, he didn’t mince words about the faulty policies of the Federation. The young producer demanded that the Dhanukas should be allowed to shoot on foreign turf as halting it was an expensive proposition. He even suggested that they be fined if needed, but only on return. He is also one of Shrikant’s closest associates. So it has to be seen what tauji thinks of his latest moves.
Ashok and Himanshu Dhanuka, Producers
The father-son duo is currently at the receiving end of the Federation’s barbs. There was a time when Shrikant Mohta would look up to Ashok as his elder brother, but then, friendship is as transient in Tollywood as enmity. So, when trouble broke out on the sets of Chalbaaz, the Dhanukas didn’t find the fraternity members by their side. Detractors claim they have been paid back in their own coin for not supporting troubled producers in the past. After flying their technicians back to Kolkata, they slapped a legal notice on the Federation. The latter shot back with a ban on the Dhanukas, which means no technician will work for them till the deadlock is resolved. Apart from the arm-twisting politics of the Federation, the Dhanukas are also miffed about Shrikant’s role in the impasse and argued that he is “tilted towards the Federation”.
Swarup Biswas and Aparna Ghatak, president and general secretary of Federation
Theirs is deadly combination that has turned Tollywood into hell for many! The mai-baap of the technicians in Tollywood, they are hard nuts to crack. After having driven away many Bollywood producers, they are in no mood to spare local defaulters. On the changing rules of the Federation, Aparna once admitted that the number of technicians taken abroad is decided on a case-to-case basis and after talking to the producers. Even if the standard number is 19, many claim the Federation’s MoU with EIMPA on this has already lapsed. Always on the same page, Swarup mostly lets Aparna do the talking. On Saturday, he skipped a meeting with the Dhanukas, which many feel is his way of avoiding direct negotiations. For them, no means no.