The actor raises issue of basic amenities on television sets.
Could Abir Goswami’s life have been saved? The sudden death of the television actor of a heart attack has once again raised the issue of unearthly working hours and dreadful work conditions afforded to television actors.
Ronit Roy, who has been working on television for over 15 years and has now shifted focus to the big-screen, says the arduous work hours and deplorable work conditions provided on the sets of television serials are potentially dangerous for the cast and crew’s health.
Ronit says, “TV actors work under unimaginable conditions. We work almost non-stop for 14-16 hours in the most unhygienic conditions. I have shot for Adaalat on a set erected right next to a garbage dump! By evening the place would stink with garbage. I shudder to think what diseases that filth must have carried on to our sets.”
Ronit finally got the set moved from the garbage dump. But when it comes to the food provided, Ronit had to concede defeat. “While they listened to me about shifting the set away from the garbage dump, there are times, when I am helpless. The food provided during television shootings most of the times is unpalatable. And there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
Ronit says he happened to discover the shocking quality of food on television shoots by chance. “I never touch the food on the television sets. I get ghar ka dabba that my wife sends no matter where I am shooting. But most actors can’t take home-cooked food with them. I remember, we were shooting for this long-running serial for one of the biggest production houses. The crew and cast came to me to complain about the food. I tasted the food. It was absolutely unpalatable, not fit for human consumption. I complained to the production company’s head about the food. For the next five days, the food improved, and then went back to being what it used to be.”
Ronit admits television actors work under conditions of tremendous health hazards. “I don’t know if Abir Goswami could have lived longer if he worked under better conditions. But we certainly don’t guarantee even basic amenities, forget about luxuries for television actors. I am glad I’ve cut down on television. It would’ve surely taken a toll on my health.”
Abir, too, was gravitating towards the big screen. Says Ronit, “Abir was my co-star in the film Ugly. A talented actor. We’d also done television together. He had a bright future as an actor. I rushed to his home after the tragedy. It’s hard to believe Abir is gone. We’d recently completed Ugly where he played an ACP. I believe he suffered from a heart condition. My advice to fellow actors on television: please insist on getting basic amenities and decent food on the sets during those long hours that television demands.”
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