Should TV actors get royalty? Industry reacts
It’s a known fact that due to lockdown, various classic TV shows such as Ramayan, Mahabharat and Shaktimaan etc, have got a new lease on life. And as the past hits do well all over again, reportedly, a few actors such as Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia (Ram and Sita of Ramayan), Mita Vashisht (featured in Circus) and Pallavi Joshi (starred in Buniyaad), have spoken about how they deserve to get royalty after the successful reruns of their shows.
Makers, on their part, feel the subject [of royalty] can be discussed but the “timing is probably not right”. “What we are going through is a ‘difficult, adjustment time’ wherein there’s a question of survival. And the same [business] model has been there from the start. Re-runs of shows have been happening forever. It’s all a part of a broadcasters’ long-term investment plan. However, talks about royalty are a healthy sign. But maybe, the timing of monetary benefits talk isn’t right,” says TV producer Sumeet Mittal.
Chikhlia has reportedly said that “money doesn’t harm anybody”, and how Ramayan actors “were [originally] paid peanuts”. While Joshi apparently feels “it should have been introduced long back”, Vashisht says the “industry is not thoughtful in terms of royalties”. TV director-producer Rajan Shahi adds, “If an actor has pointed anything, it must be respected, and discussed with the industry as a whole. It can’t be decided upon in isolation since there are various stakeholders involved.”
Experts feel everything also boils down to the contracts. “Vis-à-vis royalties, it’s all about a contract’s finer details,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. Shahi concurs and says, “Yes it all depends on the contract. But don’t forget that makers also take a lot of risk because only two out of 10 shows do well. But there can be a democratic discussion on it.”