A day after Sudeshna Roy’s upcoming film Swapno Holeo Satyi came to a grinding halt following a mass walkout by technicians involved in the film, a section of the industry insiders raised murmurs of concern over the alleged fear culture and an informal system of blacklisting taking shape in an increasingly struggling film industry.
Filmmaker Bidula Bhattacharjee, who had earlier petitioned the Calcutta High Court against the alleged strong-arm tactics of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI), said the disruption of Roy’s shoot was part of a larger pattern.
“It was not completely unexpected,” said Bhattacharjee. “Even with the court’s order in place, I knew they wouldn’t bow down so easily. There are no written instructions, so the blame won’t fall on the top brass, but on poor technicians. Their hands are tied… they’re scared, just like many directors who fear being banned.”
The court order came barely two weeks ago, when Justice Amrita Sinha issued a directive restraining the federation from “interfering with the independent functioning” of filmmakers. Bhattacharjee’s petition, backed by actor-directors like Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Anirban Bhattacharya, Sudeshna Roy, and 11 others, marked a rare, collective pushback from within the industry against the federation led by its head, Swarup Biswas, a Trinamool politician and brother of state minister Aroop Biswas.
With Roy’s film now indefinitely stalled, Bhattacharjee says the situation reflects a dangerous power dynamic:
“We are in the churning stage. We have to bear the grinding. People will be with us once the churning ends. And we are fighting for the nectar.”
Bhattacharjee said she would bring up this incident in the next hearing of her case at the Calcutta high court in May.
Condemning the boycott, Subrata Sen, president of the Directors Association of Eastern India (DAEI) warned about the far-reaching impact on livelihoods of the technicians.
“A project by two directors being shut down affects around 80-90 technicians. This has been happening for four months. We still have eight months to go this year. It’s like the Kalidas parable—we’re sawing off the very branch we’re sitting on,” Sen wrote on his Facebook page.
Sen's remarks come at a time when the Bengali film industry is experiencing unprecedented internal friction — between a powerful federation and an increasingly vocal group of filmmakers demanding the right to work freely, without political or organisational interference.
Sudeshna Roy, who is also the secretary of the Directors Association of India, had been vocal in supporting the petition against the federation. Now left devastated by the sudden desertion of her crew, she posted from the set’s deserted location in north Kolkata:
“Everyone has walked out of the film without offering any reason. This is an en masse boycott. I am hurt, devastated.”