A typical work day for Michael (name changed), a lighting technician in the Malayalam film industry, begins at around 5 a.m. Usually, he heads straight to the office where the equipment is stored, loads the kind of lights required for that particular day’s shoots into a vehicle with the help of his co-workers and heads to the shooting location. The work begins as early as 6 a.m. and goes on up to 9.30 p.m. on “normal days”.
“Sometimes, it could go up to even 2 a.m. But, even in such cases the next day’s work would begin as usual, at 6 a.m., leaving us little time to sleep. So, when we are part of projects, we often go sleep-deprived for days,” he says.
In other industries
Even as the Hema committee report on various issues in the Malayalam film industry, including those faced by women, have highlighted the serious labour-related issues in the industry, these have not got much of an attention. The typical working hours of 15 hours or more, which technicians working in various departments have confirmed to The Hindu, are violative of the labour laws in the country.
The industry has maintained long working hours from earlier times itself to cut down on production costs. Newcomers, who do not have the powers to question such practices lest they lose their chances, slowly get used to it, perpetuating the system further. According to a cinematographer who has worked in multiple film industries, most other industries have a fixed work schedule of less than 12 hours with commensurate payment for overtime, but here the payment is only slightly more.
Entry barrier for women
“With such backbreaking schedules, films are sometimes finished in quick time. The producers get all the profits, while the workers down the order end up with health issues due to irregular sleep and eating habits,” says a lighting crew member.
The top actors are required to be in the set only in time for shots featuring them, while those working behind the scenes, especially in making mammoth sets or setting up complicated lighting equipment, have to work tirelessly for hours. The extended working hours also create an entry barrier for women in many of these departments, reflected in their miniscule presence or even absence from these. A costume designer said that the time spent in getting the costumes washed and dried each day also adds to his working hours.
Minister’s stance
Labour Minister V. Sivankutty said that the department has not yet received any complaint regarding the working conditions in the industry. “Only the technicians in the film industry come under the purview of the Labour department. But, we are yet to receive any formal complaint regarding labour-related issues in the industry. If there is something in which the department can intervene, we will do that,” Mr. Sivankutty told The Hindu.
Assistant directors say that the pre-production period of films, which can stretch anywhere from 2-5 months before the actual shooting begins, is not counted for their remuneration. They get paid ₹30,000-₹40,000 or even less for work sometimes extending over eight months. The assistant directors at times end up doing a lot of unacknowledged work with the fairness of their working condition depending on the director they are working with.
‘No written contracts’
“The demand for ‘adjustments’ is more when it comes to payments. There is no written contract for people working in most departments, and a particular amount is promised when they call us for a project. But after the shooting, the production executives often bargain to reduce this amount. In some projects, it is quite a struggle to get even that amount,” says a still photographer, who has worked on several major projects.
As for the junior artistes, who are the mercy of middlemen, the Hema committee has said that their situation is worse than slaves with working hours up to 19 hours.