Bollywood hopes for reforms, daily wagers, reduction in taxes

Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for the state assembly elections on November 20, the Hindi film industry in Mumbai hopes the new government will bring critical reforms for daily wage workers and policies to reduce financial burdens on the sector.

In five days, the state will witness an electoral battle between the ruling Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi led by the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). Actor Suresh Oberoi emphasised the importance of voting, referring to it as a “national festival”.

“Voting is a national festival, and it is your duty to exercise your voting rights and strengthen the foundation of democracy,” the veteran actor told PTI.

Talking to PTI, actor Gulshan Devaiah said, “Elections are a hallmark of a good democracy, and it is the people’s right. No matter what problems we may have with each other, electorally and ideologically, we can hold free and fair elections, so that’s quite amazing.” Film producer Boney Kapoor echoed similar sentiments.

“It is the right of every citizen of this country to vote and elect a leader and make the government machinery as democratic as possible,” he said. Governance focused on development and welfare is paramount, filmmaker Subhash Ghai said.

“I don’t belong to any political party; Maharashtra is my karma bhoomi. Whoever thinks about the state’s development should be our leader, irrespective of the party. It is important to vote first, and we all should do that,” he said.

For stakeholders, the lack of government support for daily wagers in the industry is one of the main concerns. The issue came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything came to a grinding halt in the Bollywood dream factory.

B N Tiwari, president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), pointed out that despite numerous appeals to political leaders for assistance, little has been done to secure job stability for daily wagers.

“They need all sorts of help from the film industry, but they (political leaders) never think about us. We have written to them numerous times to implement the PPF scheme for workers, provide them with job security, etc. We fail to understand why those who talk about helping the poor people don’t do anything for them,” Tiwari told PTI.

He said the plight of daily wagers in the film industry has gone unnoticed as many continue to face economic hardships after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Devaiah, best known for his work in “Badhaai Do”, “Dahaad”, and “Guns & Gulaabs”, highlighted the inadequacies of support systems in place for workers since the pandemic.

“When I came in 2008 (to Mumbai), a lot of systems were in place. Post-COVID-19, several workers are not doing well financially, so some schemes for them will be good. I got a circular from the union asking for donations (for workers), and it is possible that these unions don’t have enough funds,” he said.

Mumbai, hailed as the heart of Bollywood, is facing a crisis in its film infrastructure, Tiwari claimed, referring to the iconic Film City in suburban Mumbai. In a stark assessment of Film City Tiwari, he said the area has become a place that reflects “horror” more than “glamour”, especially compared to the well-maintained Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.

“The state government is not thinking about Film City here. Considering the condition of the place, one can shoot a horror film there. There are so many sets in Ramoji Film City, all well-maintained. In the Film City here, nothing is worth a visit,” he said.

He pointed out that the Uttar Pradesh government is developing the largest Film City and providing subsidies so everyone will go there to shoot. “The Hindi film industry is synonymous with Mumbai, and people come to the city because of the glamour world. I hope the new state government will do something for it,” Tiwari said. The film exhibition sector is also feeling the strain, especially this year.