Controversy in Ollywood stirs up a hornet’s nest

Authorities intervene to resolve the fight between actress and production manager
Disagreements between the production unit and the artistes are not new in Ollywood. The industry has its regular share of fights and thereafter, the kiss-and-make-up routine. But a recent row between a production manager and an actress on the sets of Rumku Jhumana has stirred a hornet’s nest.
The film’s heroine, Priya Choudhury, had a huge showdown with the production manager Ulas Nayak over the shooting schedule. What seemed like a simple fight, turned serious as Odisha Motion Pictures Technicians (OMPTWA) and Workers Association and Odisha Cine Artiste Association (OCAA) got involved into it.
The altercation started when Ulas Nayak allegedly complained that Priya got involved in a huge fight with him regarding not reaching the sets on time. He decided to complain against Priya at OMPTWA and for a short while OMPTWA (Ulas is a member) had even decided not to work with Priya. The events took an interesting turn when Nirmal Das, president of OMPTWA, claimed to have received anonymous calls threatening him to prevent the association from going with the decision. “On the 27th night, I received threat calls. The matter is now pending with the OCAA and we both are trying for an amicable solution,” Nirmal told us.
But, when we contacted Priya, she completely denied the accusations and said, “My shooting schedule was at 12 noon and the production manager had sent the vehicle to me at 6 am. I reached the shooting location at 8 am. But the production manager came and started shouting at me for not reaching the sets on time. After that, I decided to discontinue shooting. I have also lodged a complaint with the OCAA on this issue and hope it will be resolved soon.”
Her wish didn’t go in vain as following up the complaints from both the parties, OMPTWA and OCAA decided to resolve the issue. OCAA president Debu Bose told us, “We had received a written complaint from actor Priya Choudhury and had a meeting on the issue. However, after a detailed discussion with the OMPTWA, we have now resolved the issue and both the parties are satisfied with the solution.”
The general secretary of the OMPTWA, Jatin Nayak, also echoed the same and said, “Both the associations (OMPTWA and OCAA) had reached the conclusion that this kind of unfortunate incidents will never occur in the future and the issue is resolved for now.”
However, contrary to Debu and Jatin’s claims, Ulas is still unhappy with the outcome. It seems that the threatening phone calls have not stopped yet. “Both the associations had meetings and as some big shots from the industry intervened in the matter, they tried to resolve the issue. But I am not satisfied with the solution. Even now I am receiving anonymous calls threatening to kill me. How can I rely on the association? If these calls continue, I’ll be going to lodge a complaint regarding this with the police,” he signed off.