A filmmaker from Mumbai has spilled what has usually been said in hushed tones.

Mumbai-based filmmaker Arnab Chatterjee in an interview with the news agency IANS spoke at length about disruptions in the shooting schedule after interruptions by the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India.

“It was the very first schedule of the film, and we were a unit of nearly 180 people traveling from Mumbai to Bagdogra. The local federation has a self-declared rule regarding mandatory technician hires, which becomes extremely difficult to manage on a limited budget – whether it’s a Bengali or a Hindi film,” Chatterjee said during the interview.

The 25-year old filmmaker was recently in Bengal to shoot his film Murderbaad.

Chatterjee’s comments against the federation has come at a time when a number of filmmakers from Kolkata had their shootings stalled for not toeing the line of the organisation, which has a near total control over all aspects of filmmaking including the size of crew and the technicians to be hired, to catering and everything else.

On Wednesday evening, some filmmakers in Bengal who have moved the Calcutta High Court against the federation for not allowing them to work are meeting the state information and cultural affairs department secretary on the instructions of the court to resolve the matter.

Though this is not the first time that a filmmaker from outside had reasons to complain against the federation, Chatterjee is first filmmaker to speak out.

During the shooting of Toolsidas Junior, a film produced by Bhushan Kumar and Kishan Kumar of T-Series and Ashutosh Gowariker (who also co-wrote the screenplay), one particular scene was to be shot at the Nonapukur tram depot with Sanjay Dutt.

The day he was supposed to come for the shoot coincided with the inauguration of the Kolkata International Film Festival. The production house had paid Rs. 3.5 lakh to the tram company for the purpose of shooting. Three days before the shoot, the federation sent a missive that the day’s shooting would have to be cancelled because of the festival inauguration. Requests were made but no one agreed to participate in the day’s shooting and instead headed to the Netaji Indoor Stadium. Dutt’s portions were shot in Mumbai, while the tram depot parts were added later.

A major production house from the South decided to move after allegedly facing hurdles from the federation during the recce a couple of months ago.

When contacted by The Telegraph Online on Wednesday evening, the federation head and Trinamool leader Swarup Biswas said, he was busy in a party michhil.

According to Chatterjee, the shoot in Bagdogra (Siliguri) was marred by unexpected intervention from the local film federation, which led to production setbacks and intense pressure on the cast and crew.

The filmmaker, who is also producing Murderbaad, said the situation worsened due to what he described as loopholes in the local line-production system, which was allegedly used to exploit the production team. As tensions rose, Chatterjee made the decision to cut short the original seven-day schedule to four days, which he said did not sit well, triggering further tension with the federation.

To meet the new deadline, the team worked for a 25-hour-long shoot without breaks, trying to wrap up as much as possible before returning to Mumbai. The situation escalated further when hotel staff—allegedly under pressure from the federation—locked the entire unit inside their hotels and demanded immediate payment settlements without providing time to verify expenses.

“As the director on set and the producer after pack-up, it became incredibly taxing to handle both creative and logistical pressures simultaneously,” Chatterjee explained. “There was no breathing space to even verify expenses or negotiate fairly.”

Despite the challenges, Chatterjee expressed a sense of resilience and reflection. “When the very first schedule of an independent film shakes you financially, you’re forced to rewire your approach for the rest of the shoot. All of this is part of the learning process. In hindsight, I wish everyone well—even those who unintentionally taught me the harder way.”