Bengal’s film industry is now under a “central” umbrella.
All 26 guilds representing various sections of the local film fraternity have been dissolved, and the overarching body to manage Tollygunge will be a new “centrally registered” confederation, Tollygunge BJP MLA Papia Adhikary announced on Wednesday.
“There will be a centrally registered Eastern India Motion Picture Cultural Confederation (EIMPCC), and everyone will come under one umbrella. There won’t be 26 guilds because that has inconvenienced everyone. There will be three or four categories,” said Adhikary.
“Content and everything else need an overhaul. There is a need for change,” she said.
“I am asking all old artistes and technicians to come back. Those who have no work and have been exploited in various ways. It won’t be possible without you. You have given our trade consecutive hits.”
Filmmakers were treated “as servants” earlier, according to her. “The director, who is the captain of the ship, was asked to go,” claimed Adhikary.
According to early plans, the four new categories — camera, director, production, and art and costume — will have two coordinators each.
Earlier, the 26 guilds included groups such as makeup, assistant directors, assistant producers, art setting, drivers and others.
The formation of the confederation effectively means the former Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India is disbanded.
A section of the Tollygunge fraternity had raised grievances against the alleged high-handedness of the federation, which functioned as a trade union but was accused of acting like a regulatory body. The federation was presided over by Swarup Biswas, brother of Trinamool minister Aroop Biswas. Actors, filmmakers and technicians who did not toe the line were allegedly denied work.
Bengal had ceased to be a viable shooting destination for production houses outside the state, many had alleged.
Adhikary said: “There will be no ban culture. There will be no suspension culture. Among the four categories, they will decide what is required for production. No technician will be left out. Everyone will work.”
She also said those “guilty of wrongdoing in the past” would be identified.
“There are many who have exploited others, haven’t given work, insulted others. They have worked for five days in 15 years. It’s D cube (detect, delete, deport) for them... They should leave on their own; we don’t want to delete them. They should deport themselves and find work elsewhere because there is no work for them here,” she said.
Adhikary said production houses from south and north India wanted to work in Calcutta.
Many in the industry welcomed the change.
Actor Rituparna Sengupta said the move should ensure work for everyone. “I would think positively and hope this decision means a good time for our industry. Everyone should have a just way of doing things. If anyone faces a problem or sees any discrepancy, they should come to the body and seek help, and everyone should be attended to,” the veteran of over 200 films said.
Among the new categories, there should also be one for producers, said award-winning producer Firdausul Hasan.
“Producers are an important stakeholder in any production. They are a party whenever there is a problem, but they don’t have a separate guild. If they are recognised as a separate body, it will help resolve many problems,” said Hasan, president of the Bengal Film & Television Chamber of Commerce.
“The entire fraternity will be far more streamlined. For example, the art director is doing his/her work, and alongside him/her are the assistant art director and art team. But you don’t need three guilds for this; one should suffice,” said Soikot Das, general secretary of the now-dissolved vendors’ guild.