Calcutta high court raps Bengal govt on film industry impasse

In a ruling on petitions filed by a group of directors from the Bengali film industry, the Calcutta high court issued severe statements about the West Bengal government. The filmmakers accused the umbrella organization of cine technicians, which is controlled by the Trinamool Congress, of denying them employment since July 2024.

“From the tenor of the submissions made by the parties it appears that the state intends to wash its hands off. The state denies taking any responsibility to ensure that the industry functions smoothly. It appears that the political parties are heavily upon the state,” the single bench of justice Amrita Sinha said in its September 10 order .

Prominent individuals like Parambrata Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Indranil Roychowdhury, Subrata Sen, and Sudeshna Roy are among the 13 directors in the group. The first two are well-known actors as well. Independent filmmaker Bidula Bhattacharya filed the initial appeal, which led to the order, in April, nine months after Tollywood, Bengal’s film industry with its headquarters in Kolkata’s Tollygunge, had an unprecedented standoff. The president of the Cine Technicians’ Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) is Swarup Biswas, a TMC leader and the younger brother of cabinet member Aroop Biswas.

“The court has tried it best to arrive at a solution to the problem faced by the petitioner. The matter was referred to the principal secretary, information and cultural affairs department. The principal secretary provided an opportunity of hearing to the parties and opined for setting up of a committee comprising eminent persons from the related fields in the industry,” said the September 10 order.

“The respondents raise serious objections with regard to the same. Learned senior counsel representing the principal secretary submits that the state is not obliged to resolve the inter se disputes between the parties,” the order said.

“Each and every fact, claim and allegation of the petitioner is disputed by the respondents. With such disputed factual issues, the writ petition cannot be decided. The writ petition, accordingly, stands dismissed. All connected applications stand disposed of. It will, however, be open for all the parties to take recourse to appropriate remedies available in law,” Justice Sinha wrote in the order.

The government was previously directed by the court to meet with all parties on July 30 and provide a report at the following hearing on August 8 declaring that the issue had been addressed. However, during a hearing on July 23, the court pulled up the government after it met individually with the directors and FCTWEI members. The deadlock persisted.

Tollywood’s directors and actors are also FCTWEI members although they have their respective federations.

“Our lawyers are studying the court order. They will decide on the next step,” director Subrata Sen, one of the petitioners and Directors Association of Eastern India president, told on Friday.

The stalemate began in July 2024 when the FCTWEI declared a strike, claiming that young filmmaker Rahul Mukherjee could not be permitted to work as a director because he “violated rules” by finishing the filming of a Bangladeshi television series in Bangladesh after just four days of shooting in Kolkata.

The directors’ federation, which was required to suspend Mukherjee for three months after the FCTWEI’s ruling, overturned the suspension order so that he could begin filming a new film, which prompted the strike. According to FCTWEI, a different individual was chosen to direct that film.

After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited with several of the directors and stated that disagreements with the technicians’ body should be settled through dialogue, the directors returned to work on July 31, 2024. However, nothing changed, and the filmmakers were forced to halt their efforts.