Television serial Ami Siraj er Begum gained much popularity among the audiences. However due to non-payment of wages to the artistes and technicians, the serial was shut down at an untimely time.

A press conference was organized by West Bengal Motion Picture Artists Forum recently which was graced by the Forum’s Working President, Prosenjit Chatterjee, General Secretary Arindam Ganguly and other eminent personalities.

Arindam Ganguly threw light on the fate of four Bengali mythological serials. He said that despite being handed from one producer to another, the artistes and the technicians did not get their due wages.

The organisation of actors and technicians has threatened to go on an agitation if the wages of 180 members who are working in four serials are not paid immediately. The cumulative amount of the wages totals to Rs 1.33 crore.

Prosenjit Chatterjee highlighted on the fact that there are many technicians and artists who work equally hard but are not so popular among the people. If the issue is not resolved, resorting to agitation is the only solution, added the actor.

This non-payment of wages is nothing new in Bengal. In 2018 the same scenario happened. It was resolved when Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee intervened in the matter.

What will happen this time is something which time alone will tell.

Priyanka Dutta