|
How
do other workers in the industry handle the uncertain life in television?
How do they make two ends meet if they are suddenly left in the
lurch? And what does go wrong, actually? Do workers really become
too big for their boots as time rolls by? Is it the TRPs which makes
the channel take such drastic steps? Is it friction between the
lower and higher rungs that causes the problems? Has sucking up
to seniors become an essential criterion to survive? Is there a
remedy to this malady?
Day to
day existence - a typical television series shoot in progress
|
indiantelevision.com
decided to find out from the lower rungs of the industry by visiting
some sets. A spot boy, on request of anonymity, reveals, "We are
like servants, purely on daily wages. In fact, if I don't report
tomorrow for the shoot due to medical reasons, not a soul would
believe me. I can't come five minutes late and leave five minutes
early.
If I do so, someone else would be appointed in my place before I
report for work tomorrow. We even have to bear the brunt of curses,
abuses, and what not. We have no names, once we come on to the sets.
Even if our name is known to actors, directors, cameramen, hairdressers,
make-up men, we are called 'Eh', 'Abey', 'Sshhh', and 'Chokra'.
I don't remember anybody calling me as 'Bhaiya'. But what can I
do?"
This
is what a hairdresser and a make-up artiste had to say, when asked
to describe life behind all the glitz and glamour, "Our situation
is slightly better (than spot boys). Some of us are on daily wages,
some of us are given monthly salaries. But our big problem is sucking
up to the actors. These boys and girls are extremely fussy about
their looks and quite unsure of what they want.
Even for a particular look ordered by the director, some of them
invariably throw tantrums after it has been done. In such cases,
we run the risk of being shown the door. We are shifted to cater
to another actor in the same show. God forbid if we have a problem
there, we are shifted by the production house to some other show
of theirs. But God help us if the production house is small, does
not have many serials going at a time, or there is no vacancy."
|
