Behind every big Bollywood film, there are many technicians whose hard work makes the stars look good on screen. But their life is not easy at all. They face long working hours, late salary, less pay and bad working conditions.
Lightmen, who are very important because they set up and operate all the lighting equipment on film and TV sets, say they still work in very difficult conditions even though they are the backbone of the industry.
Recently, a production house named Reelzen Creative shared a docu-series on its Instagram account. In that series, several lightmen from Delhi who often work in Bollywood films talked about the real problems of their job.
For Suraj Gautam, who is the owner of Wide Light in Delhi, the day starts very early. He said that to reach the set on time, he gives a call time of 3 am. He explained that this is because they have to keep the entire lighting setup ready before the camera can start rolling.
Another freelance lightman, Dinesh Bharti, said the same thing. He said there is no fixed time to start the day. He said their day can start at 2 am or 5 am. He added that in the film industry, lightmen have the most difficult job but still they are paid the least.
Even though their work is very hard physically, lightmen say their daily wages are very low. According to Suraj Gautam, the normal daily pay is around Rs 1,800, no matter how long the shift goes. Dinesh Bharti also said that they get overtime only if they work for 17 or 18 hours. But if they work for just a couple of hours extra, nobody cares or pays them.
Here is the docu-series:
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbcXrd7xuTi/
Click to watch this video directly on Instagram
Because of this, many lightmen are now demanding that their daily wage should be increased to Rs 2,000. They say the current pay is not enough for the rising cost of living and for the amount of hard work they do.
Another big problem they face is late payment. Suraj Gautam said that when it comes to paying lightmen or spot boys, producers often make excuses. He said producers say they do not have money when it is time to pay them.
This problem has become more common in recent years. Freelance lightman Amar Singh said that delay in payment has become normal, especially after everything shifted to online payment. He said earlier they used to get money on the same day itself. But now, since everyone can do online transactions, they call them for work but keep delaying the payment. He claimed that it takes at least two to three months to get paid.
This is a really serious issue and necessary steps should be taken as soon as possible to improve the situation.
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