Second wave of exodus! With no work, daily-wage workers in Bollywood head to their hometowns

Gangubai Kathiawadi had to be halted as its leads tested positive (right) Just before the curfew, the shoot of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

Over 10 days into the suspension of shoots, daily-wage workers in Bollywood are facing their worst fears again. While the state government has imposed a junta curfew till April 30, rumours in the film industry suggest that the shutdown may continue well beyond the deadline. In such a scenario, daily wagers - having borne the brunt of unemployment last year - have started flocking to their hometowns.

BN Tiwari, president, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), rues that around 50,000 workers are currently unemployed. "Many have returned to their villages. The only relief is some daily-wagers are working outside Maharashtra," he says, adding that his association is working relentlessly to improve the situation. "We are trying to get free vaccination for our workers. Help [poured in] last year, but this time, not too many people have come forward. We will seek help from stars and authorities if the suspension extends beyond May 1."

BN Tiwari

mid-day tracked down Jhunuk Kumari, a junior artiste on Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi, who moved back to Gorakhpur on April 10. "I was short of funds, having exhausted most of my savings last year. So, when there were rumours of a lockdown this time around, I left Mumbai right away. The shoot was suspended after the lead actress tested positive. I didn't have any other project in hand, so I used my last bit of savings and came home," she recounts.

For every Kumari who has left the city, there are some who have stayed back in the hope that the entertainment industry will be up and running after the two-week window. Laxmi Goswami, member of the Mahila Kalakar Sangh, says that she was shooting for an Abhay Deol-led web series until mid-April. "Being junior artistes, we would get work for 15 days a month. But things have been terrible ever since the pandemic [broke out]. Post the lockdown, filmmakers stopped canning scenes entailing a wedding or party because they weren't allowed to shoot crowd scenes. Where they required 50 artistes earlier [for a crowd scene], now they [make do] with 15 of us. The TV shows that have moved outside Maharashtra have not hired extras as they intend to rope in locals for the parts." That their remuneration has stayed unchanged since 2014 is another drawback. Goswami says, "Our per-day salary is R1190 for serials and web series, and R1410 for movies."