Calcutta: The stalemate resulting from a dispute between the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum and the Welfare Association of Television Producers (WATP) over payment entered its fourth day on Wednesday.

The forum held its general body meeting at Nazrul Mancha on Tuesday which was attended by Tollywood stars like Prosenjit, Soumitra Chatterjee and Jeet, along with representatives of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI).

(The Bengal government has called a meeting with the Artists' Forum and WATP on Thursday, reports PTI)

What is the issue about?

Shooting for Bengali television serials has been stalled since Sunday following the artistes' demand for timely payment and incentive for working for more than 10 hours.

Prosenjit, the working president of Artists' Forum, said: "We are almost 2,500 members. This general body meeting was held to discuss our standpoint. This has been going on for months."

Payment of artistes and technicians has been pending for long. "The basic issue is that television actors are not being paid on time. At theprevious meetings (with the WATP), the actors were told that they would be paid by the 15th of every month. They later completely denied that," said Prosenjit.

What are the demands?

Apart from payment by the 15th of every month, the forum is also pressing for incentives if the artistes and technicians work for more than 10 hours a day.

"After working for a month, we should get our payment on time. That's our only demand. If artistes and technicians don't get money for five months, how will they run their family? If every month you see payments have been due for two months, how will you sustain? They are working for 16-17 hours a day. If a 10-hour shift gets extended by an hour, no one objects. But here a shift often gets extended by hours... there should be some sort of incentive. We are flexible about a lot of things but the basic things cannot be denied," said Prosenjit.

Regarding the demand for incentives for working for more than 10 hours a day, producer Nispal Singh of Surinder Films said: "For that the artistes need to be disciplined first. They don't come on time.... One artiste is shooting for three serials every day-it's going on for such a long time. How does it happen?"

What are they fighting for?

Actress Chaiti Ghoshal of the serial Jamai Raja said the artistes' were fighting for their basic rights.

"Just like artistes and technicians, producers are important, too.... No one has any vested interest. Today this can only happen with everybody's contribution. You have to join hands with the producers and the technicians and save the industry. This is not a match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan where one side wins and the other loses. It'll be a loss for everybody when shooting gets cancelled - the artistes don't get their daily payments, it's a loss for the producers, the channels and the Bengal film industry. Everyone should be there in solidarity. We are all trying to reach a solution," she said.

What's the producers' take on this?

Many serials produced by Surinder Films are stuck, including Om Namah Shivay, Saat Bhai Champa, Seemarekha and Aloy Bhuvan Bhora. Talking about the artistes' demand for timely payments, Nispal said: "Payments can be sorted out. It'll be cleared, there's no issue about it. In Surinder Films all our payments are up to date. If any producer has not cleared payments, the issue will be settled. Every year, a producer pays Rs 50-60 crore to artistes. It's not like they're getting a meagre salary, it's a lot of money. It may happen that payment is pending."

What's the way forward?

Prosenjit isn't entirely sure about what's going to happen.

"I'm not very clear about it, honestly. Our members are rigid about their standpoint. They have been facing this problem for years. The audience is our God. We don't want to deny them of their favourite daily soaps. They wait to see the actors and a new story every day," he said.

Nispal isn't sure about when the two parties will come up with a mutually agreeable solution.

"I think it'll end only when everything is properly settled. If the disputes remain, it'll keep continuing," he said.

What are the actors saying?

Bidipta Chakraborty, who acts in serials such as Phagun Bou and Shubho Drishti, said: "We need timely payments. That's what our Artists' Forum has decided. We should be ready for talks and try to come to a decision. No one wants work to stop."

Serials were last shot on Saturday. Most Bengali serials do not have episode banking, so old episodes are being telecast.

"So far no solution has been reached, but I'm sure very soon the dispute will get resolved. Whatever the Artists' Forum decides, we will all agree with it," Bidipta added.

Actor-director Arindam Sil said: "All of us must look at the bigger picture. We must settle this. It shouldn't be hurting anybody, but at the same time the demands are justified and they should be addressed."