Bombay (Union) Talkies
A filmy fight with an interesting message
In a new role, fire-fighter Salman Khan has gone all in to put out flames licking Bollywood. Big Bros Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar are in a rare fight, triggered by Singh’s exit from Akhtar’s supermega project, Don 3. Singh quit Dec last, took the ‘no comment-icado’ highway. Akhtar took the shorter road to the producers’ body, and films association, which, after meetings failed, hopped across to FWICE, the umbrella body of over 30 cinema workers’ unions, lights to make-up, the full shebang. Union bosses pronounced, let no one cooperate with Singh – “No superstar is above the rules of the industry.” Only, the union’s directive has little legal substance, but, as things stand, ‘non-cooperation’ is dramatic, and carries weight – remember, it did bring down an Empire.
Mediation, bhaijaan style, for long has been Bollywood’s route to douse flames. But a film is no longer just a film. Big-budget ones involve complex scheduling, global releases and streaming deals. Sudden exits hurt not just producers, but technicians, spot boys, camera crews and a host of others whose jobs depend on productions staying on schedule. Whatever the outcome, what’s already evident is that this could be a turning point for Bollywood to professionalise. A union publicly challenged an A-list actor. The script says contracts matter more than star aura. An actor is being treated more like a corporate partner. That makes for a good, and interesting, ending.
Read more:
The ‘Don 3’ fallout: Can a film union ‘ban’ Ranveer Singh from working? His legal options explained
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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