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regular-article-logo Friday, 26 April 2024

Bollywood film set in office tied to Citu raises hackles of workers' body

The shooting of Pippa, a Hindi movie based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war, directed by Raja Krishna Menon, was carried out at the office on Vidyasagar Avenue

Abhijeet Chatterjee Durgapur Published 12.11.21, 02:35 AM
The office of the Citu-affiliated Hindustan Steel Employees’ Union that was made into a movie set in Durgapur earlier this week.

The office of the Citu-affiliated Hindustan Steel Employees’ Union that was made into a movie set in Durgapur earlier this week. Picture by Anusuya Sinha

A Bollywood movie production house used an office of a workers’ union here affiliated to Citu as a “police station” set earlier this week, which has not gone down well with some Citu members.

These angry members have protested against the permission granted by their colleagues for the three-day movie shoot starting last Sunday. On Thursday, 10 members of the Citu-affiliated Hindustan Steel Employees’ Union submitted their resignation.

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“We were annoyed to see our union’s flag and photographs of leaders of the Communist movement removed to facilitate the film shooting,” said a protesting union member.

Sources said the shooting of Pippa, a Hindi movie based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war, directed by Raja Krishna Menon, was carried out at the union office on Vidyasagar Avenue.

The movie tells the story of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta and his wartime travails. The cast includes Ishaan Khatter, Soni Razdan, Priyanshu Painyuli and Mrunal Thakur.

To turn the office into a set for “Rajaganj police station”, portraits of leaders of the Communist pantheon were removed and a picture of Indira Gandhi added.

Protesting leaders and workers of the HSU said the “decision” to allow a film production company to use their office for a shoot had not been discussed at any Citu meetings. They alleged that the permission was granted to the production house without informing the Citu leadership in West Burdwan and Calcutta. “We are unsure if the union office was rented out or the film production company was allowed voluntarily,” said another Citu worker.

Sources in Citu said the film production company had approached some local leaders following a location visit in July.

After the Durgapur leg of the shooting, the film production company moved to Jharkhand.

The film unit will reportedly return for shooting at the closed Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation township at Bamunara on the outskirts of Durgapur.

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