I can’t be lured by the kind of money TV offers, says Pallavi Joshi
Pallavi Joshi, who has been part of popular Hindi television shows such as Justajoo, Alpviram and Aarohan in the past, has recently been appointed as a new member of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council. She believes that the television industry needs to be regulated as the working hours are hectic. She explains, “We’ve heard about actors fainting on the set even though they are the most pampered people in showbiz. Imagine then what happens to the daily wage workers such as light boys, spot boys and people in the makeup and the costume departments! For a nine o’clock shift, they need to report an hour earlier. And they leave at least an hour after pack up. They pack their stuff, fill up their vans, go back to the go downs, unload everything there and then they go back home.”
The Tashkent Files (2019) actor adds, “Most of the television shoots take place in places like Mira Road and Naigaon. As a result, people working in this industry have no family life. They work 30 days a month. So, there needs to be some kind of regulation so that the work hours span over only eight hours even for the daily wage workers.”
Pallavi believes that the pay has improved in the television industry but she isn’t tempted to go back to television just because of the money. She elaborates, “The remuneration has definitely become better. That’s the only plus. But I can’t be lured by that kind of money because if I do that, I’ll be losing out on my family life completely. The best time to do television is when you’re in your early adulthood because there’s no husband and children to attend to. That’s the time when you’re young and raring to go. So, you can give your time and earn the most.”