It’s not just the silver screen, recession has caught up with the small screen — and big time.
With producers scrimping on budgets and leaving no stone unturned to increase productivity, one of the ideas gaining ground is the introduction of hourly-basis payments instead of the regular daily contract.
“Producers like Sunjoy Wadhwa, JD Majethia, Rajesh Chaddha, Deepak Sehgal and a few others meet quite often to discuss issues pertaining in the TV industry. And they feel that hourly contracts are really the need of the hour,” says an insider.
When contacted, Majethia confirmed the proposal. “After the recent strike, we have joined hands to tackle our internal issues, though we haven’t formed any official body yet. We meet every week or fortnight and discuss matters. And yes, hourly contracts are definitely in our mind and we’ll probably get a fix on it in our next meeting.”
But besides the tough times, the actors themselves are equally to blame for things coming to such a head. “The problems with leading stars of various shows are plenty. Firstly, getting their dates blocked is difficult. Secondly, the whole unit has to wait when they come late. Though they tell us not to give them overtime, they don’t understand that we have to pay the whole unit for overtime,” laments Majethia.
Rajesh Chaddha, director of Endemol India, however says that the problem is getting worse from every corner. “I think the problem of dates is bigger with the second rung actors. For example, these actors take two to three shows and it becomes very difficult for us to adjust the schedules. So the budget goes for a toss. Our main aim is to address the complex scheduling problem of the artistes. We also have to be careful about keeping the interests of the artistes in mind too,” says Chaddha.
“I think in this time of recession, our main aim is to curtial our expenses in a manner that everyone can live in peace. This is not a power game but an attempt to introduce more discipline into the system,” ends Majethia.
