Virus rules force low-paid Bollywood extras out of work

MUMBAI: The coronavirus lockdown in India didn’t make a difference for Bollywood superstars, but for the industry’s vast army of poorly paid and unskilled workers, it meant unemployment, hunger and homelessness – never ending in sight even if the shootings resume gradually.

Fahim Shaikh earned 800 rupees ($ 11) a day as a “spot boy” on sets, doing odd jobs like making tea. When Bollywood shut down its productions in March, the 23-year-old could no longer pay rent.

“I just walked up and down, asking strangers for help and sleeping in front of cafes,” he told AFP.

Like many star-eyed newcomers, he came to Mumbai in pursuit of an acting career before his dreams gave way to the pressures of everyday life in India’s most expensive city.

The hugely successful Hindi film industry is tentatively coming back to life, but with strict rules, including restrictions on the number of people allowed on set.

This means that jobs for people like Shaikh are now scarce.

“I am ready for anything, I desperately need a job,” he said.

– ‘The smallest players’ –

The lockdown has cast the spotlight on India’s extreme inequality with well-heeled citizens able to hibernate safely in their homes while watching shocking scenes of a huge exodus of migrant workers unfold on their TV screens and smartphone.

This chasm between the haves and have-nots is perhaps even more pronounced in Bollywood, where jet-set megastars rub shoulders with tens of thousands of extras, scout boys and other junior crew that exist in glamor industry margin.

“Spot boys are considered the smaller players, until the food arrives late on a platter,” actress Richa Chadha wrote on her blog highlighting the “disastrous” effects of the lockdown.

During her half-century stint as an extra, Sayeda Mumani has worked alongside virtually every major player, from 1970s morning idol Rajesh Khanna to superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

In a good month, the 68-year-old has collected around 14,000 rupees. But her income dried up after filming stopped, and she hasn’t worked for months.

Unlike the younger Shaikh – who has little contact in the industry – Mumani’s long association with major studios meant she could count on at least a little help, with top players such as Amitabh Bachchan. and Salman Khan sending him grocery coupons and money.

But relying on the piecemeal generosity of individuals has serious limitations, as Mumani discovered when rising medical and household expenses left him with a debt of 100,000 rupees.

“I feel so useless and helpless,” she told AFP.

– No safety net –

Despite generating billions of dollars in revenue, the world’s most prolific film industry does not have an established program to protect its most vulnerable members.

The vast majority of the tens of thousands of workers in the industry do not have access to medical insurance or pension plans.

Director Anubhav Sinha, who paid the salaries of his production staff and offered financial assistance to other team members during the lockdown, said the lack of a safety net reflected the fact that the workforce The work of the industry is largely independent.

“My employees … make up about 10% of the total size of my film unit. Ninety percent are freelancers who work on production and then move on,” he told the AFP.

And although the industry is home to several unions, they do not have the means to look after their members, said Amit Behl, co-principal secretary of the Association of Film and Television Artists.

The organization, which has more than 9,000 members including prominent stars, had to solicit donations to support actors who “live practically hand in hand,” Behl told AFP.

“We produce twice the content of other film countries but we are not structured,” he said.

In addition, he warned that new restrictions, which include banning filming crowd scenes, hiring big crews or actors over 65, meant the crisis was about to end. make matters worse, leaving workers like Mumani to fear for their future.

“We can’t go on like this,” she said, bursting into tears.

“I feel like I’m already dying.”