look news india
In the film industry, the pain of the people working behind the big stars and glamor is often hidden somewhere. Recently, the sudden strictness shown by the ‘Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE) in a case related to actor Ranveer Singh has given rise to a new and serious debate within Bollywood. Usually, this organization is known for protecting the rights of small employees, laborers and technicians of the film industry, but this time fingers are being raised on its way of working and double attitude.
Meanwhile, a social media statement of famous film editor Shweta Venkat Mathew is becoming increasingly viral, which has exposed the bitter truth of the industry to everyone.
Silence on the plea of 242 editors, why so much urgency in Star’s case?
Shweta Venkat Mathew shared a very shocking statistic highlighting the ongoing discrimination within the film industry. He told that in the year 2023 itself, about 242 film editors of the country had come together and sent an official complaint to FWICE. In this complaint, the technicians raised serious issues they faced, such as:
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Persistent delay in payment
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Not receiving dues even after completion of work
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Poor and unsafe working environment in sets and studios
The surprising thing is that even after a long time had passed since this collective complaint, these editors did not get any concrete help or relief from the organization. Shweta clearly says that the organization never took these basic problems of common technicians seriously. He believes that the voices of these people who sweat behind the scenes are not considered as strong or important as the importance given to big and famous artists. This is the reason why resentment and dissatisfaction among film editors has now reached its peak.
Debate on ‘Selective Action’ increases: Is the organization impartial?
The issue of ‘selective action’ i.e. taking action in selected cases has now come to the center of this entire controversy. Along with Shweta Venkat, many other people from the film industry also believe that the speed and promptness with which FWICE took action in the high-profile case of Ranveer Singh is never seen in the files of ordinary employees.
This raises a big question whether any representative organization is more active only in matters that attract limelight and media attention? People associated with the film industry say that if an organization has to remain impartial and credible, then it should treat each of its members – whether a big star or a spot boy – equally. Such discrimination weakens the image of the organization and breaks the confidence of common workers.
“Maybe we editors aren’t ‘cool’ or famous…”
Expressing her displeasure on social media, Shweta Venkat wrote sarcastically that perhaps editors are not that ‘cool’ or glamorous, that is why even their legitimate views are ignored. His post is getting huge support from countless technicians working backstage. People say that no film can be completed without important work like editing, yet the problems of these people are always suppressed.
Old wounds and the power of social media
This controversy is not new; Problems like long and tiring working hours, not getting timely remuneration and job uncertainty are very old problems in the film industry. Technicians say that if no concrete steps are taken soon on these ground issues, it will have a direct impact on the functioning and production of the entire film industry.
However, this incident has made one thing clear that now social media has become a big and strong weapon for common technicians. The complaints which earlier remained buried in the files of offices, are now coming directly before the public and media through social media. This is the reason why the pressure of accountability and transparency on big institutions like FWICE is continuously increasing.